POPPIES IN OCTOBER
CRITICAL APPRECIATION.
1) This poem of Plath is of this period when she wrote mainly about violence, but this poem is about enchanting and breath taking beauty of Poppy . The poem has the same toxicating effect as poppies. These are so beautiful that even the bright red and shiny sun cannot passaround them and had to stop to watch the beauty of these showy flowers. And the woman who is in the ambulance cannot evade their charm. Her heart has gone after them and she is spell bound.
2) A gift of beauty, a natural talent bestowed over these little flowers, was unasked for. It is heavenly as beauty always is. Encircling and burning intensely and brightly arousing passion whichis at the same time sweet and insane and dangerous like carbon monoxides through eyes and is dimmed when the shady petals are closed or not complete;y open.
3) Plath must be feeling like Wordsworth did when he saw " The Daffodils" for she says:
" O my God, what am I
That these late mouths should cry open".
Thus poppies welcome the visitors by opening their petals and giving a bright grim in the chill and frosty season.
4) Popppies are well known symbol of Remembrance Day. The setting can be interpreted in many ways: it can be a woman tending to a patient, or a woman fighting for her life. Upon the mention of skirts, forests and cornflower and a love gift, usually given to women, one gets the strong feminine impression.
5) Her hair red, can also be compared to the poppies. Is it a coincidence that the month chosen is prior. to the one which poppies reign? this section holds a key to the setting presented in the poem and may be the emotion conjured by the over surge of automobiles.
6) Carbon monoxide, toxic and distasteful can be dangerous to all who inhale too much of it or little bits too often. It is a negative thing, which leads to concluding that this piece has a anegative feeling.
7) Emotions such as distress and sadness are important to Sylvia Plath poems. Most of her poems are based on these two easy to relate emotions, and loosely on the pleasure it can motivate you to seek and enjoy when you have it.
8) The most frequent colour here is red. Poppies are red, her hair is red, love is associated with red and so is a heart. Reds of lighter tones are usually connected with lust, anger and rage and those deeper reds with love, passion andheat.
9) Poppies are of a lighter red, they might represent the anger in the poem, the blood if there is any in the ambulance etc.
10) When she speaks of God, and crying in nature, we can say it is his creation that she is crying out for His creation; bountiful, pleasant and beautiful, she is asking almost for permission to speak and be in the company of beauty. The last lines each keats idea of beauty.
"As thing of beautyis a joy for ever
Its loveliness increases, it will never,
Pass into nothingness;
Wednesday 26 July 2017
Poppies in October
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Tuesday 25 July 2017
Is Oedipus ‘worst of men’ as he calls himself?
No it is wrong to say that because:
It is against the very concept of Aristotelian concept of the tragic hero. An ideal tragic hero:
is an essentially a good (though not noble) character
But, at the same time, he has common human weaknesses and commits an error of judgment or suffers from a fatal flaw (hamartia), causing his peripeteia (tragic and drastic fall from prosperity into adversity).His fall arouses pity and fear in the audience and provides an opportunity to them for catharsis (process of release of emotions)
We equate ourselves with the tragic hero and his fall because, firstly, he morally belongs to the average humanity like all of us and, secondly, his fall is caused, not by any of his evil actions, but by his fatal flaws which affect each and every single one of us and, that, too, because of the working of destiny and fate.
If tragic hero is evil, why would the spectators equate themselves with him and why pity and fear would be aroused in them
In case of evil tragic hero, the spectators would feel relieved at his fall as they would do in case of seeing the murderers and rapists and robbers fall
But why does he call himself ‘the worst of men’? It actually refers to the weaknesses of which he actually was ignorant and only came to know them after his fall e.g.
• Oedipus committed patricide and incest which are unpardonable crimes but he came to know these when it was too late
• He falls at the hands of his indomitable pride and ambition, but this is true of all tragic heroes who have weaknesses. For instance look at the weaknesses of other tragic heroes: Hamlet, procrastination; Lear, arrogance and ignorance; Othello, jealousy; Julius Caesar, arrogance; Macbeth, ambition; Faustus, his ambition and pride in his unlimited knowledge.
So what is really to blame is the tragic Irony of fate and destiny. Oedipus knows all and is the only person in the world to solve the riddle of the Sphinx, but we know that the discovery of truth is not going to help him. So ironically, he remains ignorant of his own crimes of patricide and incest and the moment truth is revealed, he starts hating himself. That Oedipus is not the worst of men can be proved even by his decision to leave Thebes for fear of the fulfilment of the prophecies but it the evil and tragic irony of fate that somehow ends up in the same country of his birth and commits what he is so bent upon avoiding but what is destined to happen.
It is against the very concept of Aristotelian concept of the tragic hero. An ideal tragic hero:
is an essentially a good (though not noble) character
But, at the same time, he has common human weaknesses and commits an error of judgment or suffers from a fatal flaw (hamartia), causing his peripeteia (tragic and drastic fall from prosperity into adversity).His fall arouses pity and fear in the audience and provides an opportunity to them for catharsis (process of release of emotions)
We equate ourselves with the tragic hero and his fall because, firstly, he morally belongs to the average humanity like all of us and, secondly, his fall is caused, not by any of his evil actions, but by his fatal flaws which affect each and every single one of us and, that, too, because of the working of destiny and fate.
If tragic hero is evil, why would the spectators equate themselves with him and why pity and fear would be aroused in them
In case of evil tragic hero, the spectators would feel relieved at his fall as they would do in case of seeing the murderers and rapists and robbers fall
But why does he call himself ‘the worst of men’? It actually refers to the weaknesses of which he actually was ignorant and only came to know them after his fall e.g.
• Oedipus committed patricide and incest which are unpardonable crimes but he came to know these when it was too late
• He falls at the hands of his indomitable pride and ambition, but this is true of all tragic heroes who have weaknesses. For instance look at the weaknesses of other tragic heroes: Hamlet, procrastination; Lear, arrogance and ignorance; Othello, jealousy; Julius Caesar, arrogance; Macbeth, ambition; Faustus, his ambition and pride in his unlimited knowledge.
So what is really to blame is the tragic Irony of fate and destiny. Oedipus knows all and is the only person in the world to solve the riddle of the Sphinx, but we know that the discovery of truth is not going to help him. So ironically, he remains ignorant of his own crimes of patricide and incest and the moment truth is revealed, he starts hating himself. That Oedipus is not the worst of men can be proved even by his decision to leave Thebes for fear of the fulfilment of the prophecies but it the evil and tragic irony of fate that somehow ends up in the same country of his birth and commits what he is so bent upon avoiding but what is destined to happen.
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Q- Of all the prose writers included in your syllabus, whom do you like most? Give solid reasons for your choice.
Though there are many prose writers included in our course i.e. Francis Bacon, Bertrand Russell, Jonathan Swift, Seamus Heaney, and Edward Said. But I like Francis Bacon the most. Francis Bacon is my favorite prose writer because he is the father of English prose.
I like him because he was the first to set up through his personal example a model of English prose, which had hitherto be non existent. Referring to Bacon’s contribution to English prose Hugh Walker observes:
‘He took one of the biggest steps ever taken in the evolution of English prose style, a step, which set that style in the road, which it travelled, though not without divagations, down to the days of Swift and Addison.’
Francis Bacon, (1561-1626) the lawyer, statesman, philosopher, and master of the English tongue, and the most famous as the first essayist in the history of English Literature is remembered in literary terms for the short worldly wisdom of most of his 58 essays. He is also known for his power as a speaker in parliament. He was also a nationalist as he advised us in all his 58 essays to prefer the good of the individual. He was as anti-democratic as Aristotle who liked the country to be ruled by a king or not by men elected democratically from the masses. He was an advocate of war because peace spoils the creative and inventive talent of the people. He was hater of laboring classes because he himself belonged to the highest aristocratic class of England. So when he talks of man in his essays, he means as aristocratic man whom he observes in relation to God, society and himself. That is why French called him “L’ Artisan De La Fortune” (the Maker if Fortune).
Bacon the essayist had stayed long in Paris and was himself master of French language. He read 100 essays written in 1580 by Montaigne (1532-1592) who is the inventor of essays in France. Like Montaigne in France, Bacon is the first and greatest of modern essayist in England. So Bacon’s pioneering work in essay writing is a great contribution to English literature. Bacon’s essays are impersonal, objective, compressed, profound, epigrammatic, authoritative, oracular and argumentative. So Bacon’s essays surpass Montaigne’s essays and no other English writer till today could surpass Bacon’s essays. This signifies Bacon’s contribution to English literature as an essayist.
Bacon as an essayist does not give us an exhausted discussion of the subject which he chooses for a particular essay but goes on recording his thoughts as they come in his mind. Only his essays do not seem to flow from one to the other. None of his 58 essays present any structural unity. Bacon is perfectly true in saying that his essays are dispersed meditation. Even then they make a treasure of practical wisdom and thus the contribution to English literature by Bacon as an essayist.
Bacon shows his utilitarian approach even in his religious essays like: 1- Of Atheism. 2- Of Utility. 3- Of Religion. 4- Of Death. He makes no mention of hopes and fears of the life after death.
Indeed Bacon’s 58 essays constitute a handbook of practical wisdom enclosing in their shortest maxims an astounding treasure of insight and prudence.
Bacon’s as an essayist, is like a skylark that flies high in the sky to sing and please itself while as a man of reflection; he is like a hawk that can be soar aloft but can also descend and fall upon its prey
Bacon introduced a new literary form of essays in English literature by writing all his essays in his typical epigrammatic brevity and terse expressiveness. Bacon possessed a marvelous power of compressing into few words as idea which ordinary writers would express in several sentences. Many of his sentences have an aphoristic quality. They are like proverbs which can readily be quoted when the occasion demands. Only Bacon could have written the sentences remarkable for their brevity
He never uses an unwanted word. No one has produced a greater number of closely- packed and striking formulas, loaded with practical wisdom. Many of them have become current as proverbs. The brevity of most of his essays is a great recommendation to readers having a short leisure time as their disposal. Their compactness of thought and conciseness of expression is a great virtue. They are full of aphorisms and epigrams which lend a great charm to his style.
Though there are many prose writers included in our course i.e. Francis Bacon, Bertrand Russell, Jonathan Swift, Seamus Heaney, and Edward Said. But I like Francis Bacon the most. Francis Bacon is my favorite prose writer because he is the father of English prose.
I like him because he was the first to set up through his personal example a model of English prose, which had hitherto be non existent. Referring to Bacon’s contribution to English prose Hugh Walker observes:
‘He took one of the biggest steps ever taken in the evolution of English prose style, a step, which set that style in the road, which it travelled, though not without divagations, down to the days of Swift and Addison.’
Francis Bacon, (1561-1626) the lawyer, statesman, philosopher, and master of the English tongue, and the most famous as the first essayist in the history of English Literature is remembered in literary terms for the short worldly wisdom of most of his 58 essays. He is also known for his power as a speaker in parliament. He was also a nationalist as he advised us in all his 58 essays to prefer the good of the individual. He was as anti-democratic as Aristotle who liked the country to be ruled by a king or not by men elected democratically from the masses. He was an advocate of war because peace spoils the creative and inventive talent of the people. He was hater of laboring classes because he himself belonged to the highest aristocratic class of England. So when he talks of man in his essays, he means as aristocratic man whom he observes in relation to God, society and himself. That is why French called him “L’ Artisan De La Fortune” (the Maker if Fortune).
Bacon the essayist had stayed long in Paris and was himself master of French language. He read 100 essays written in 1580 by Montaigne (1532-1592) who is the inventor of essays in France. Like Montaigne in France, Bacon is the first and greatest of modern essayist in England. So Bacon’s pioneering work in essay writing is a great contribution to English literature. Bacon’s essays are impersonal, objective, compressed, profound, epigrammatic, authoritative, oracular and argumentative. So Bacon’s essays surpass Montaigne’s essays and no other English writer till today could surpass Bacon’s essays. This signifies Bacon’s contribution to English literature as an essayist.
Bacon as an essayist does not give us an exhausted discussion of the subject which he chooses for a particular essay but goes on recording his thoughts as they come in his mind. Only his essays do not seem to flow from one to the other. None of his 58 essays present any structural unity. Bacon is perfectly true in saying that his essays are dispersed meditation. Even then they make a treasure of practical wisdom and thus the contribution to English literature by Bacon as an essayist.
Bacon shows his utilitarian approach even in his religious essays like: 1- Of Atheism. 2- Of Utility. 3- Of Religion. 4- Of Death. He makes no mention of hopes and fears of the life after death.
Indeed Bacon’s 58 essays constitute a handbook of practical wisdom enclosing in their shortest maxims an astounding treasure of insight and prudence.
Bacon’s as an essayist, is like a skylark that flies high in the sky to sing and please itself while as a man of reflection; he is like a hawk that can be soar aloft but can also descend and fall upon its prey
Bacon introduced a new literary form of essays in English literature by writing all his essays in his typical epigrammatic brevity and terse expressiveness. Bacon possessed a marvelous power of compressing into few words as idea which ordinary writers would express in several sentences. Many of his sentences have an aphoristic quality. They are like proverbs which can readily be quoted when the occasion demands. Only Bacon could have written the sentences remarkable for their brevity
He never uses an unwanted word. No one has produced a greater number of closely- packed and striking formulas, loaded with practical wisdom. Many of them have become current as proverbs. The brevity of most of his essays is a great recommendation to readers having a short leisure time as their disposal. Their compactness of thought and conciseness of expression is a great virtue. They are full of aphorisms and epigrams which lend a great charm to his style.
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Saturday 22 July 2017
Past paper classical poetry uos
1): Classical Poetry
1. Chaucer’s art of characterization
2. Irony and satire in the prologue
3. Treatment of Ecclesiastical characters
4. Chaucer’s style and narrative skill
5. The Prologue as a picture gallery
6. Critical Appraisals of characters: Knight, WIB, Pardoner, Summonor, Parson, Friar and Prioress
7. Wyatt’s Contribution/ Wyatt as poet or sonneteer
8. Surrey’s Contribution/ Surrey as poet or sonneteer
9. Critical Appraisals: The Long Love that in my thought I harbor, Is it possible? Madam Withouten many words, Wyatt’s Death, Prisoned in Windsor, Love that doth reign and lived in within my heart
10. Donne as a metaphysical poet
11. Donne as a love poet
12. Critical Appraisals of select poems: Death be not proud, The Sun Rising, A Valediction: forbidding Mourning, The Good Morrow, Twicknam Garden
13. Milton’s Grand Style
14. Paradise as a Renaissance Epic
15. Hero of Paradise Lost: Satan or Adam
16. Main Theme in PL: Justifying the ways of God
17. The Rape of the Lock as a Mock-Epic
18. The Role and Function of Machinery in ROL
19. Character of Belinda
20. ROL as a Social Satire.
Paper (2): Classical Drama
21. Oedipus’s Fate-Action/ Hamartia of Oedipus: hubris
22. Oedipus as a tragedy
23. Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex
24. Main Theme: Relationship between man and gods.
25. Dr. Faustus as an over-reacher/ Faustus as Icarus
26. The real sin of Doctor Faustus
27. Dr. Faustus as a tragic Hero
28. Renaissance Elements in Dr. Faustus
29. Othello as a tragic hero.
30. Othello as a (domestic) tragedy
31. Theme of Jealousy in Othello
32. Iago’s motives and Othello’s cause of destruction
33. Winter’s Tale as a tragic-comedy
34. Theme of Jealousy in Winter’s Tale
35. Pastoral elements in Winter’s Tale.
36. Importance of Being Earnest: theme of love, money, marriage and social status.
37. IBE: The title – its significance and value
38. A trivial comedy for serious people/ IBE as comedy
39. Oscar Wilde’s style: pun, wit, paradox & verbatism
40. IBE as a social satire
Paper (3): Novel
41. Pride and Prejudice: Title and significance
42. Character of Elizabeth in P&P
43. Theme of love and marriage in P&P
44. Jane Austen’s Irony
45. A Tale of Two Cities: Title and its value
46. The theme of resurrection & renunciation in ATC
47. Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities
48. ATC is a social novel in political background
49. Sydney Carton and his sacrifice in ATC
50. Adam Bede and Psychological Realism
51. George Eliot’s art of characterization
52. Hetty’s suffering; its cause and redemption
53. Education and regeneration of Adam Bede
54. The Return of the Native as a tragedy
55. Egdon Heath as a character in TRN
56. Chance and Fate – Hardy as a novelist
57. The Cause of Eustacia or Clym’s tragedy in TRN
Paper (4): Prose
58. Bacon as an essayist/ his style and contribution
59. Bacon as a moralist
60. Swift as a satirist
61. Swift as a misanthrope
62. Describe the first and the last voyage G-Travels.
63. Popularity of Gulliver’s Travels
64. Seamus Heaney’s justification, functions and redressing effects of poetry.
65. What is culture and what is imperialism and how does Edward Said relate the two?
66. Why does Edward Said refer to various novelists to prove his thesis of imperialism?
67. Bertrand Russell as an essayist.
Paper (5): American Literature
68. John Ashbery as a modern poet
69. Major themes in Ashbery and Richard Wilbur
70. Major Themes in Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath
71. Adrienne Rich as a poet
72. Critical Appraisals: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, Diving into the Wreck, The Painter, Melodic Trains, Still Citizen Sparrow, After the Last Bulletins, You are! Ariel, Arrival of the Bee box and Final Notations
73. The Crucible: its title and significance
74. John Proctor as a tragic hero
75. Mass Hysteria and theme of evil in the Crucible
76. Relationship between individual & society in The Crucible/ Individual commitment in society
77. Character of Abigail Williams
78. For Whom the Bell Tolls: Main theme
79. Robert Jordon as a tragic hero
80. Justify Robert Jordon’s sacrifice
81. Robert Jordon as a code hero
82. Hemingway’s style – Fictional technique
83. Symbolic Significance of the title Jazz
84. City as a character in Jazz
85. Major themes in Jazz
86. Mourning Becomes Electra as a tragedy.
1. Chaucer’s art of characterization
2. Irony and satire in the prologue
3. Treatment of Ecclesiastical characters
4. Chaucer’s style and narrative skill
5. The Prologue as a picture gallery
6. Critical Appraisals of characters: Knight, WIB, Pardoner, Summonor, Parson, Friar and Prioress
7. Wyatt’s Contribution/ Wyatt as poet or sonneteer
8. Surrey’s Contribution/ Surrey as poet or sonneteer
9. Critical Appraisals: The Long Love that in my thought I harbor, Is it possible? Madam Withouten many words, Wyatt’s Death, Prisoned in Windsor, Love that doth reign and lived in within my heart
10. Donne as a metaphysical poet
11. Donne as a love poet
12. Critical Appraisals of select poems: Death be not proud, The Sun Rising, A Valediction: forbidding Mourning, The Good Morrow, Twicknam Garden
13. Milton’s Grand Style
14. Paradise as a Renaissance Epic
15. Hero of Paradise Lost: Satan or Adam
16. Main Theme in PL: Justifying the ways of God
17. The Rape of the Lock as a Mock-Epic
18. The Role and Function of Machinery in ROL
19. Character of Belinda
20. ROL as a Social Satire.
Paper (2): Classical Drama
21. Oedipus’s Fate-Action/ Hamartia of Oedipus: hubris
22. Oedipus as a tragedy
23. Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex
24. Main Theme: Relationship between man and gods.
25. Dr. Faustus as an over-reacher/ Faustus as Icarus
26. The real sin of Doctor Faustus
27. Dr. Faustus as a tragic Hero
28. Renaissance Elements in Dr. Faustus
29. Othello as a tragic hero.
30. Othello as a (domestic) tragedy
31. Theme of Jealousy in Othello
32. Iago’s motives and Othello’s cause of destruction
33. Winter’s Tale as a tragic-comedy
34. Theme of Jealousy in Winter’s Tale
35. Pastoral elements in Winter’s Tale.
36. Importance of Being Earnest: theme of love, money, marriage and social status.
37. IBE: The title – its significance and value
38. A trivial comedy for serious people/ IBE as comedy
39. Oscar Wilde’s style: pun, wit, paradox & verbatism
40. IBE as a social satire
Paper (3): Novel
41. Pride and Prejudice: Title and significance
42. Character of Elizabeth in P&P
43. Theme of love and marriage in P&P
44. Jane Austen’s Irony
45. A Tale of Two Cities: Title and its value
46. The theme of resurrection & renunciation in ATC
47. Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities
48. ATC is a social novel in political background
49. Sydney Carton and his sacrifice in ATC
50. Adam Bede and Psychological Realism
51. George Eliot’s art of characterization
52. Hetty’s suffering; its cause and redemption
53. Education and regeneration of Adam Bede
54. The Return of the Native as a tragedy
55. Egdon Heath as a character in TRN
56. Chance and Fate – Hardy as a novelist
57. The Cause of Eustacia or Clym’s tragedy in TRN
Paper (4): Prose
58. Bacon as an essayist/ his style and contribution
59. Bacon as a moralist
60. Swift as a satirist
61. Swift as a misanthrope
62. Describe the first and the last voyage G-Travels.
63. Popularity of Gulliver’s Travels
64. Seamus Heaney’s justification, functions and redressing effects of poetry.
65. What is culture and what is imperialism and how does Edward Said relate the two?
66. Why does Edward Said refer to various novelists to prove his thesis of imperialism?
67. Bertrand Russell as an essayist.
Paper (5): American Literature
68. John Ashbery as a modern poet
69. Major themes in Ashbery and Richard Wilbur
70. Major Themes in Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath
71. Adrienne Rich as a poet
72. Critical Appraisals: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, Diving into the Wreck, The Painter, Melodic Trains, Still Citizen Sparrow, After the Last Bulletins, You are! Ariel, Arrival of the Bee box and Final Notations
73. The Crucible: its title and significance
74. John Proctor as a tragic hero
75. Mass Hysteria and theme of evil in the Crucible
76. Relationship between individual & society in The Crucible/ Individual commitment in society
77. Character of Abigail Williams
78. For Whom the Bell Tolls: Main theme
79. Robert Jordon as a tragic hero
80. Justify Robert Jordon’s sacrifice
81. Robert Jordon as a code hero
82. Hemingway’s style – Fictional technique
83. Symbolic Significance of the title Jazz
84. City as a character in Jazz
85. Major themes in Jazz
86. Mourning Becomes Electra as a tragedy.
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University of sargodha past papers
#University_Of_Sargodha#Past_Papers (2012-2016)#Classical_Drama
#Oedipus_Rex
Oedipus rex is a classical example of plot construction?(2012)
Role of Chorus in oedipus rex? (2013)
Prove the example that oedipus keeps a dignified stance throughout? (2014)
Who is responsible for oedipus tragedy character or fate? (2015)
Majore conflicts in Oedipus Rex? (2106)
#Othello
Othello as a Shakespearean hero? (2012)
How is the play Othello rich with seeds of racial discrimination? (2013)
How does Iago exploit the weakness of other? (2014)
On what grounds can othello be called one of the greatest tragedies? (2015)
prove that Othello himself is responsible for his downfall? (2016)
#Jew_of_Malta
What evil deed of Barabas will you enlist to prove him an evil incarnate? (2013)
what are the traits of Marlovian hero and how many of them does Barabas have? (2014)
"For,so i live,perish may all the world" is the policy of Barabas? How does he materialize this policy?? (2015)
"I am my own best friend"..justify the statement by analyzing the character of Barabas? (2016)
#The_Tempest
What are the natural and supernatural traits of Caliban?? (2013)
Supernatural elements are present in The Tempest and what is their role in the play? (2014)
compare and contrast the characters of Ariel and Caliban in The Tempest ? (2015)
Supernatural elements in The Tempest? (2016)
#Importance_Of_Being_Earnest
"The IBE" is a comedy with purpose. Do you agree??? (2012)
Mention the characteristics that assert "IBE" an artificial comedy?? (2013)
How does the character of Lady Bracknell relied the contemporary society? (2014)
"The IBE" is more a psychological farce than a farcical comedy ? (2015)
How does "The IBE" satirize the problems of Victorian society? (2016)
#Oedipus_Rex
Oedipus rex is a classical example of plot construction?(2012)
Role of Chorus in oedipus rex? (2013)
Prove the example that oedipus keeps a dignified stance throughout? (2014)
Who is responsible for oedipus tragedy character or fate? (2015)
Majore conflicts in Oedipus Rex? (2106)
#Othello
Othello as a Shakespearean hero? (2012)
How is the play Othello rich with seeds of racial discrimination? (2013)
How does Iago exploit the weakness of other? (2014)
On what grounds can othello be called one of the greatest tragedies? (2015)
prove that Othello himself is responsible for his downfall? (2016)
#Jew_of_Malta
What evil deed of Barabas will you enlist to prove him an evil incarnate? (2013)
what are the traits of Marlovian hero and how many of them does Barabas have? (2014)
"For,so i live,perish may all the world" is the policy of Barabas? How does he materialize this policy?? (2015)
"I am my own best friend"..justify the statement by analyzing the character of Barabas? (2016)
#The_Tempest
What are the natural and supernatural traits of Caliban?? (2013)
Supernatural elements are present in The Tempest and what is their role in the play? (2014)
compare and contrast the characters of Ariel and Caliban in The Tempest ? (2015)
Supernatural elements in The Tempest? (2016)
#Importance_Of_Being_Earnest
"The IBE" is a comedy with purpose. Do you agree??? (2012)
Mention the characteristics that assert "IBE" an artificial comedy?? (2013)
How does the character of Lady Bracknell relied the contemporary society? (2014)
"The IBE" is more a psychological farce than a farcical comedy ? (2015)
How does "The IBE" satirize the problems of Victorian society? (2016)
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my page
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Friday 14 July 2017
Oedipus not a puppet, but a free agent in his actions on stage
Oedipus Not a Puppet, But a Free Agent in His Actions on the Stage: - If Oedipus is the innocent victim of a doom which he cannot avoid, he would appear to be a mere puppet. The whole play in that case becomes a tragedy of destiny which denies human freedom. But such a view would also be unsound. Sophocles does not want to regard Oedipus as a puppet; there is reason to believe that Oedipus has been portrayed largely as a free agent. Neither in Homer nor in Sophocles does divine fore-knowledge of certain events imply that all human actions are pre-determined. The attendant in the present play emphatically describes Oedipuss self-blinding as voluntary and self-chosen and distinguishes it from his involuntary murder of his father and marriage with his mother. Some of Oedipuss actions were fate-bound, but everything that he does on the stage, from first to last, he does as a free agenthis condemnation of Tiresias and Creon, his conversation with Jocasta leading him to reveal the facts of his life to her and to his learning from her the circumstances of the death of Laius, his pursuing his investigation despite the efforts of Jocasta and the Theban shepherd to stop him, and so on. What fascinates us in this play is the spectacle of a man freely choosing, from the highest motives, a series of actions which lead to his own ruin. Oedipus could have left the plague to take its course but his pity over the sufferings of his people compelled him to consult the oracle. When Apollos word came, he could still have left the murder of Laius un-investigated, but his piety and his love of justice compelled him to start an inquiry. He need not have forced the truth from a reluctant Theban shepherd, but he could not rest content with a lie and, therefore, wanted to prove the matter fully. Tiresias, Jocasta, the Theban shepherd, each in turn tried to stop Oedipus, but in vain; he was determined to solve the problem of his own parentage. The immediate cause of his ruin is not fate or the gods; no oracle said that he must discover the truth. Still less does the cause of his ruin lie in his own weakness. What causes his ruin is his own strength and courage, his loyalty to Thebes, and his love of truth. In all this we are to see him as a free agent. And his self-blinding and self-banishment are equally free acts of choice.
The Responsibility of fate and the Responsibility of Character: - What is our conclusion, then? In spite of the evidence to prove Oedipus a free agent in most of his actions as depicted in the play, we cannot forget that the most tragic events of his lifehis murder of his father and his marriage with his motherhad inevitably to happen. Here the responsibility of fate cannot be denied. But the discovery by Oedipus of his crimes or sins is the result of the compulsions of his own nature. The real tragedy lies in this discovery, which is due to the traits of his own character. If he had not discovered the truth, he would have continued to live in a state of blissful ignorance and there would have been no tragedyno shock, no self-blinding, and no suffering (assuming, of course, that Jocasta too did not discover the truth). But the parricide and the incestthese were pre-ordained and for these fate is responsible.
The Responsibility of fate and the Responsibility of Character: - What is our conclusion, then? In spite of the evidence to prove Oedipus a free agent in most of his actions as depicted in the play, we cannot forget that the most tragic events of his lifehis murder of his father and his marriage with his motherhad inevitably to happen. Here the responsibility of fate cannot be denied. But the discovery by Oedipus of his crimes or sins is the result of the compulsions of his own nature. The real tragedy lies in this discovery, which is due to the traits of his own character. If he had not discovered the truth, he would have continued to live in a state of blissful ignorance and there would have been no tragedyno shock, no self-blinding, and no suffering (assuming, of course, that Jocasta too did not discover the truth). But the parricide and the incestthese were pre-ordained and for these fate is responsible.
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Show of seven deadly sins
The show of Seven Deadly Sins is presented to please Doctor Faustus and remove his internal conflict between the good and the bad. So the seven sins – Pride, Covetousness, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth and Lechery. Some critics are of the view that the show is meant for comic relief for the audience. But this is hardly to accept. In fact the show is not meant for a comic relief, but is really meant for bringing back Faustus to the path to hell when he was much irritated by Mephistopheles for not telling him the right answers. In fact, the sins already abide in Doctor Faustus’ soul; the show merely symbolizes or externalizes them.
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Certain aspects of drama to interpret Dr faustus
Certain aspects of the drama can be used to support an interpretation of Faustus as a Renaissance hero and other aspects suggest he is a medieval hero. According to the medieval view of the universe, Man was placed in his position by God and should remain content with his station in life. Any attempt or ambition to go beyond his assigned place was considered a great sin of pride. For the medieval person, pride was one of the greatest sins that one could commit. This concept was based upon the fact that Lucifer's fall was the result of his pride when he tried to revolt against God. Thus, for the medieval person, aspiring pride became one of the cardinal sins.
According to the medieval view, Faustus has a desire for forbidden knowledge. In order to gain more knowledge than he is entitled to, Faustus makes a contract with Lucifer, which brings about his damnation. Faustus then learns at the end of the play that supernatural powers are reserved for the gods and that the person who attempts to handle or deal in magical powers must face eternal damnation. When we examine the drama from this standpoint, Faustus deserves his punishment; then the play is not so much a tragedy as it is a morality play. The ending is an act of justice, when the man who has transgressed against the natural laws of the universe is justifiably punished. The chorus at the end of the drama re-emphasizes this position when it admonishes the audience to learn from Faustus' damnation and not attempt to go beyond the restrictions placed on humanity.
The character of Faustus can also be interpreted from the Renaissance point of view. At the time of this play, there was a conflict in many people's minds, including Marlowe's, as to whether or not to accept the medieval or the Renaissance view. The Renaissance had been disappointed in the effectiveness of medieval knowledge because many scholastic disputations were merely verbal nonsense. For example, arguments such as how many angels could stand on the head of a pin dominated many medieval theses. The Renaissance scholars, however, revived an interest in the classical knowledge of Greece and the humanism of the past. They became absorbed in the great potential and possibility of humanity.
According to the Renaissance view, Faustus rebels against the limitations of medieval knowledge and the restriction put upon humankind decreeing that he must accept his place in the universe without challenging it. Because of his universal desire for enlightenment, Faustus makes a contract for knowledge and power. His desire, according to the Renaissance, is to transcend the limitations of humanity and rise to greater achievements and heights. In the purest sense, Faustus wants to prove that he can become greater than he presently is. Because of his desire to go beyond human limitations, Faustus is willing to chance damnation in order to achieve his goals. The tragedy results when a person is condemned to damnation for noble attempts to go beyond the petty limitations of humanity.
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Thursday 13 July 2017
Contexts of drama dr faustus,oedipus rex n importance of being earnest
Context of Dr faustus
Dr faustus is a learned scholar of whitenberg. He has inordinate ambitions. His resolution in his aims brings about his death n destruction. He wants to gain super human power and for this sake he sails his soul to devil and gets worldly pleasure only for 24 hours n becomes damned forever.... next jo text paper Mae aay us sy phly ki story btain in short n explain mentioned verses from Dr faustus
Dr faustus is a learned scholar of whitenberg. He has inordinate ambitions. His resolution in his aims brings about his death n destruction. He wants to gain super human power and for this sake he sails his soul to devil and gets worldly pleasure only for 24 hours n becomes damned forever.... next jo text paper Mae aay us sy phly ki story btain in short n explain mentioned verses from Dr faustus
Context of Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex is d king of Thebes. He is a ruler who is noble, wise, sincere, honest and loyal with his state. A plague spread over Thebes. All Thebes is in miserable condition. People r losing their Lives. Babies die unborn. All labour is vain. The death is dancing in d streets of Thebes. There is starvation due to which people die. There is nobody who solve d problem. All people come to Oedipus coz they have believe in his ability which he has shown in d matter of sphynx by solving her riddle.
(Next jo text paper Mae aai hae us sy phly ki thori c detail daini hae)
After that explain d given verses from related book
Oedipus Rex is d king of Thebes. He is a ruler who is noble, wise, sincere, honest and loyal with his state. A plague spread over Thebes. All Thebes is in miserable condition. People r losing their Lives. Babies die unborn. All labour is vain. The death is dancing in d streets of Thebes. There is starvation due to which people die. There is nobody who solve d problem. All people come to Oedipus coz they have believe in his ability which he has shown in d matter of sphynx by solving her riddle.
(Next jo text paper Mae aai hae us sy phly ki thori c detail daini hae)
After that explain d given verses from related book
Context of The importance of being Ernest
This play is truly a satire on absurdities n foolishness of people of that time. This play deals with certain farcical remarks n situations which r witty n amusing one. The basic target of writer is to satire on hi society of English country of that time. Oscar wild in this play tries to prick the aristocracy class n do doubt he successfully does this job.
Next given verses sy phly ki situation discuss kren n after that explain d verses given in paper
This play is truly a satire on absurdities n foolishness of people of that time. This play deals with certain farcical remarks n situations which r witty n amusing one. The basic target of writer is to satire on hi society of English country of that time. Oscar wild in this play tries to prick the aristocracy class n do doubt he successfully does this job.
Next given verses sy phly ki situation discuss kren n after that explain d verses given in paper
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Tuesday 11 July 2017
Rape of the lock points to remeber for reference to context
Rape of the lock points to remeber for reference to context
Rape of the lock
Canto 1-dream scene+ toilet ceremony
Rape of the lock
Canto 1-dream scene+ toilet ceremony
Canto 2- description of Hampton court + game of ombre
Canto 3- coffee break + cutting of lock
Canto 4 - sex war+ cave of spleen+ ascending of lock
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Monday 10 July 2017
Theme of Mercenary in Pride and Prejudice
Theme of mercenary or money marriage plays a significant role to the extent that without this theme; the novel is either incomprehensible or prosaic. Although the theme of mercenary resonates through almost all the major characters; we cannot take it to be Austen’s view point. She is against; not for mercenary marriages.
19th century England had some serious social problems left over from the heyday of Royalty and Nobility. One of the most significant of these was the tendency to marry for money. In this basic equation, a person sought a spouse based on the dowry receivable and their allowance. This process went both ways; a beautiful woman might be able to snag a rich husband, or a charring handsome man could woo a rich young girl. In these marriages, money was the only consideration. Love was left out, with a feeling that it would develop as the years went by. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen comments that marriage in her time is a financial contract, where love is strictly a matter of chance. Lady Catherine states the fact that happiness in marriage is strictly a matter of chance. This holds true in the conception of marriage held in the novel. All of the marriages in the book formed under the bonds of money rather than the bonds of love end up unhappy or unsuccessful. The whole novel outlines attempts to dance around love for the combination of a wealthy person with an attractive person.
Before Austen can chart the difficult process through which the heroine of Pride and Prejudice becomes a skilled player of the marriage-gambling game, however, the novelist must establish the association between money and marriage. She accomplishes this throughout the book by mixing the languages of love and economics. The novel's celebrated first sentence presents an example of this type of punning: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". The line's comic effect derives primarily from the incongruity between the lofty diction of the phrase "truth universally acknowledged" and the baldly mercenary sentiment with which the sentence ends. The humorous conflation of philosophic and monetary speculation continues through the first and into the second chapter, as Mr. Bennet misses no opportunity to amuse himself with repeated puns that portray the arrival of the Bingley party at Netherfield as a serendipitous investment opportunity for the families in the village. When, for example, Mr. Bennet tells his wife that he needn't call on Bingley, since their neighbor Mrs. Long has promised to introduce the Bennet girls to the rich young man at an upcoming party, Mrs. Bennet replies that Mrs. Long is a "selfish, hypocritical woman" who will do no such thing since she has "two nieces of her own" . In that case, replies Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet herself should introduce the girls, justifying such a breach of decorum on the sound financial principle that he who hesitates is lost: "if we do not venture, somebody else will; and after all Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance" . All financial ventures, from the stock market to marriage, entail an element of risk that one must expect and for which one must plan.
The first line of Pride and Prejudice, “It is a universally acknowledged fact that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”, sets the tone for the rest of the novel. We interpret it to mean that a wealthy man either actively pursues a wife based on his knowledge that no one would turn down a wealthy suitor, or attractive women use their beauty to their advantage to attract a rich husband. Confident in his knowledge of his own wealth and magnificence, Darcy’s less than romantic first proposal to Elizabeth is a good example of the first of these truths. Darcy marches into the room, and after stating all the reasons why a wealthy man such as himself should never marry a “socially inferior” person such as Elizabeth, he proposes to her. He is totally confident in the knowledge that no woman would turn down marriage to a person as rich as himself, no matter how obnoxious he is. He seems outrightly stunned when Elizabeth refuses him. This refusal shatters his conception of reality, showing him that money is not all powerful. This is what seems to throw him head over heels in love with Elizabeth.
Mrs. Bennett is the embodiment of the second part of the rule. Her marriage was based on the principal of financial gain, and she desires her daughters to be the same. She was able to attract Mr. Bennett, a seemingly sensible and self controlling man, by, “keeping her mouth shut and smiling a lot.” Basically stated, she entered their marriage under false pretenses. She had no real love for him, only a desire to gain financially. Every action taken by her in the novel is directly intended to undermine her daughters marriages, guiding them toward financial gain. She is furious when Elizabeth turns down Collins, as her marriage to him would mean the estate would stay in the family. She found Darcy most disagreeable, but would have been furious if Elizabeth had told her the she had turned Darcy's marriage proposal down.
Charlotte Lucas represents the group entirely left out of this equation. She has neither extreme beauty nor wealth. She can not even attract a husband through her wit as Elizabeth does, and so she is basically without hope for inclusion. Elizabeth is astonished when Charlotte accepts Mr. Collin’s marriage proposal, as she does not understand fully Charlottes predicament. She can not hope for a wealthy and handsome husband like Elizabeth and Jane can, as she does not have their particular assets. She can hope at best for security and a degree of comfort.
In Ch.26 we read that Wickham has switched his affections from Elizabeth to Miss King because she has suddenly acquired 10,000 pounds. In Ch.27 When Mrs.Gardiner teases Elizabeth that Wickham who till then was her admirer is "mercenary" Elizabeth replies:"Pray, my dear aunt, what is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive? Where does discretion end, and avarice begin?" Money no doubt is certainly necessary for a successful and happy marriage. But the vital question is 'how much?': In Ch.33 Col.Fitzwilliam Darcy,the younger son of an earl, a very rich charming young man, subtly hints that he cannot marry Elizabeth:"Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry without some attention to money." to which Elizabeth playfully sugggests that his price would perhaps not be "above 50,000 pounds." In Ch.19 Collins threatens Elizabeth to submit to his proposal by emphasizing her impoverished status:"one thousand pounds in the 4 per cents, which will not be yours till after your mother's decease, is all that you may ever be entitled to." The novel is a heart rending cry for the freedom of young women from the clutches of mercenary men who toyed with their happiness : "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."
Mr. Wickham's quick transferral of his affections to Miss King after she has acquired 10,000 pounds provides important insight into his true character. While Elizabeth had clearly been his favorite, Wickham must have realized that her social position gave him little chance of being able to marry her. Of course, this knowledge did not prevent him from forming an attachment to her in the first place. Because he paid no attention at all to Miss King before she inherited the money, his motives for beginning to show a preference for her must be purely mercenary. Elizabeth does not seem to find fault with him for his actions, however, even Mrs. Gardiner points out the purely mercenary reasons for his actions. Having been sufficiently flattered by his preference for her and having formed a positive judgment of him, it seems that even in the face of such strong evidence she is unwilling to rethink her positive judgment of him. It is ironic that while Elizabeth is unable to make excuses for her good friend Charlotte for her choice to marry based on financial concerns, she sees no problem in Wickham's feigning attraction to a woman simply because her sizeable inheritance.
Elizabeth learns from Lydia that Mr. Wickham has given up his thought of marrying Miss King also. This and the other facts show Mr. Wickham to be an utterly unreliable kind of man. When Elizabeth tells Jane the true facts about Mr. Wickham, Jane too feels shocked and says: "Wickham so very bad! It is almost past belief." Mr. Wickham provides further evidence of his being a rascal and a villain by eloping with Lydia. The news of Lydia's elopement with Mr. Wickham comes as a great shock to the whole Bennet family, and especially to Elizabeth. It is true that much of the blame for this elopement rests upon Lydia herself; but Mr. Wickham cannot be exonerated. According to the information supplied by Mr. Wickham's friend Mr. Denny, Mr. Wickham had no intention to marry Lydia. Thus, Mr. Wickham's real purpose in running away Lydia had been only to seduce her and to satisfy his lust for her. If Mr. Wickham does marry Lydia ultimately, it is because of the role played by Mr. Darcy in the whole affair. Mr. Wickham states certain terms and conditions on which he is prepared to marry Lydia; and Mr. Darcy goes out of his way to fulfil those terms and conditions. Of course, Mr. Bennet too has to satisfy certain conditions laid down by Mr. Wickham, but the major role in bringing about the marriage is that of Mr. Darcy. Mr. Wickham also reveals at this time that he had incurred certain debts which are also now paid by Mr. Darcy. Thus, Mr. Wickham shows himself to be a mercenary man, besides being unscrupulous in his relations with girls.
Wickham's next victim is Lydia. It is rather difficult to explain his motives here, for Lydia has neither money, nor beauty, nor brains. And Wickham does not love her at all. The fact is that his gambling and his reckless extravagance involve him in a number of undischarged debts of honour, and he is forced to leave the neighbourhood. The elopement is brought on by the strength of Lydia's love for him. He has absolutely no intentions of marrying her. Mrs. Gardiner's letter to Elizabeth clearly reveals that, even after elopement, he cherishes the hope of more effectually making his fortune by marriage in some other country. His willingness to take Lydia along is either a pure piece of rakishness or an attempt to blackmail Mr. Bennet and extort as much money as possible. However, Darcy’s intervention persuaded intervention promises him substantial immediate relief and he is persuaded to marry Lydia. His conduct in this episode betrays his extreme selfishness, his mercenariness and venality, and his utter baseness and want of principle. In pursuing his selfish aims he is thoroughly calculating - as in the careful plan to gain Georgiana Darcy's money as well as revenge on Darcy. In most of his pursuits he is thoroughly mercenary, as in his pursuit of a wealthy wife and his readiness to marry Lydia when offered enough money. His style of living is debauched: he likes gambling to excess and drinking, and his sexual morals are weak or non-existent. He is totally lacking in honour, and runs away from paying gambling debts, feels no guilt about the social stigma which will attach to Lydia after she has run away with him, and shows no intention of marrying her. Nor on his return to Longbourn after the marriage does he show any shame. At the end, we feel that in marrying Lydia he gets the fate he deserves.
In conclusion, the essential statement made about marriage in Pride and Prejudice is that a marriage for money will end up unsuccessful. At the same time, a marriage based purely on the means of passion and love alone will also be doomed to failure. A balance must be met. Balance doesn’t necessarily have to be equal, but must be present in order for a marriage to be successful. This is proven in the novel Pride and Prejudice, by examples of unsuccessful marriages formed for money, and successful marriages formed by a combination of love and security.
Theme of mercenary or money marriage plays a significant role to the extent that without this theme; the novel is either incomprehensible or prosaic. Although the theme of mercenary resonates through almost all the major characters; we cannot take it to be Austen’s view point. She is against; not for mercenary marriages.
19th century England had some serious social problems left over from the heyday of Royalty and Nobility. One of the most significant of these was the tendency to marry for money. In this basic equation, a person sought a spouse based on the dowry receivable and their allowance. This process went both ways; a beautiful woman might be able to snag a rich husband, or a charring handsome man could woo a rich young girl. In these marriages, money was the only consideration. Love was left out, with a feeling that it would develop as the years went by. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen comments that marriage in her time is a financial contract, where love is strictly a matter of chance. Lady Catherine states the fact that happiness in marriage is strictly a matter of chance. This holds true in the conception of marriage held in the novel. All of the marriages in the book formed under the bonds of money rather than the bonds of love end up unhappy or unsuccessful. The whole novel outlines attempts to dance around love for the combination of a wealthy person with an attractive person.
Before Austen can chart the difficult process through which the heroine of Pride and Prejudice becomes a skilled player of the marriage-gambling game, however, the novelist must establish the association between money and marriage. She accomplishes this throughout the book by mixing the languages of love and economics. The novel's celebrated first sentence presents an example of this type of punning: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". The line's comic effect derives primarily from the incongruity between the lofty diction of the phrase "truth universally acknowledged" and the baldly mercenary sentiment with which the sentence ends. The humorous conflation of philosophic and monetary speculation continues through the first and into the second chapter, as Mr. Bennet misses no opportunity to amuse himself with repeated puns that portray the arrival of the Bingley party at Netherfield as a serendipitous investment opportunity for the families in the village. When, for example, Mr. Bennet tells his wife that he needn't call on Bingley, since their neighbor Mrs. Long has promised to introduce the Bennet girls to the rich young man at an upcoming party, Mrs. Bennet replies that Mrs. Long is a "selfish, hypocritical woman" who will do no such thing since she has "two nieces of her own" . In that case, replies Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet herself should introduce the girls, justifying such a breach of decorum on the sound financial principle that he who hesitates is lost: "if we do not venture, somebody else will; and after all Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance" . All financial ventures, from the stock market to marriage, entail an element of risk that one must expect and for which one must plan.
The first line of Pride and Prejudice, “It is a universally acknowledged fact that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”, sets the tone for the rest of the novel. We interpret it to mean that a wealthy man either actively pursues a wife based on his knowledge that no one would turn down a wealthy suitor, or attractive women use their beauty to their advantage to attract a rich husband. Confident in his knowledge of his own wealth and magnificence, Darcy’s less than romantic first proposal to Elizabeth is a good example of the first of these truths. Darcy marches into the room, and after stating all the reasons why a wealthy man such as himself should never marry a “socially inferior” person such as Elizabeth, he proposes to her. He is totally confident in the knowledge that no woman would turn down marriage to a person as rich as himself, no matter how obnoxious he is. He seems outrightly stunned when Elizabeth refuses him. This refusal shatters his conception of reality, showing him that money is not all powerful. This is what seems to throw him head over heels in love with Elizabeth.
Mrs. Bennett is the embodiment of the second part of the rule. Her marriage was based on the principal of financial gain, and she desires her daughters to be the same. She was able to attract Mr. Bennett, a seemingly sensible and self controlling man, by, “keeping her mouth shut and smiling a lot.” Basically stated, she entered their marriage under false pretenses. She had no real love for him, only a desire to gain financially. Every action taken by her in the novel is directly intended to undermine her daughters marriages, guiding them toward financial gain. She is furious when Elizabeth turns down Collins, as her marriage to him would mean the estate would stay in the family. She found Darcy most disagreeable, but would have been furious if Elizabeth had told her the she had turned Darcy's marriage proposal down.
Charlotte Lucas represents the group entirely left out of this equation. She has neither extreme beauty nor wealth. She can not even attract a husband through her wit as Elizabeth does, and so she is basically without hope for inclusion. Elizabeth is astonished when Charlotte accepts Mr. Collin’s marriage proposal, as she does not understand fully Charlottes predicament. She can not hope for a wealthy and handsome husband like Elizabeth and Jane can, as she does not have their particular assets. She can hope at best for security and a degree of comfort.
In Ch.26 we read that Wickham has switched his affections from Elizabeth to Miss King because she has suddenly acquired 10,000 pounds. In Ch.27 When Mrs.Gardiner teases Elizabeth that Wickham who till then was her admirer is "mercenary" Elizabeth replies:"Pray, my dear aunt, what is the difference in matrimonial affairs, between the mercenary and the prudent motive? Where does discretion end, and avarice begin?" Money no doubt is certainly necessary for a successful and happy marriage. But the vital question is 'how much?': In Ch.33 Col.Fitzwilliam Darcy,the younger son of an earl, a very rich charming young man, subtly hints that he cannot marry Elizabeth:"Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry without some attention to money." to which Elizabeth playfully sugggests that his price would perhaps not be "above 50,000 pounds." In Ch.19 Collins threatens Elizabeth to submit to his proposal by emphasizing her impoverished status:"one thousand pounds in the 4 per cents, which will not be yours till after your mother's decease, is all that you may ever be entitled to." The novel is a heart rending cry for the freedom of young women from the clutches of mercenary men who toyed with their happiness : "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."
Mr. Wickham's quick transferral of his affections to Miss King after she has acquired 10,000 pounds provides important insight into his true character. While Elizabeth had clearly been his favorite, Wickham must have realized that her social position gave him little chance of being able to marry her. Of course, this knowledge did not prevent him from forming an attachment to her in the first place. Because he paid no attention at all to Miss King before she inherited the money, his motives for beginning to show a preference for her must be purely mercenary. Elizabeth does not seem to find fault with him for his actions, however, even Mrs. Gardiner points out the purely mercenary reasons for his actions. Having been sufficiently flattered by his preference for her and having formed a positive judgment of him, it seems that even in the face of such strong evidence she is unwilling to rethink her positive judgment of him. It is ironic that while Elizabeth is unable to make excuses for her good friend Charlotte for her choice to marry based on financial concerns, she sees no problem in Wickham's feigning attraction to a woman simply because her sizeable inheritance.
Elizabeth learns from Lydia that Mr. Wickham has given up his thought of marrying Miss King also. This and the other facts show Mr. Wickham to be an utterly unreliable kind of man. When Elizabeth tells Jane the true facts about Mr. Wickham, Jane too feels shocked and says: "Wickham so very bad! It is almost past belief." Mr. Wickham provides further evidence of his being a rascal and a villain by eloping with Lydia. The news of Lydia's elopement with Mr. Wickham comes as a great shock to the whole Bennet family, and especially to Elizabeth. It is true that much of the blame for this elopement rests upon Lydia herself; but Mr. Wickham cannot be exonerated. According to the information supplied by Mr. Wickham's friend Mr. Denny, Mr. Wickham had no intention to marry Lydia. Thus, Mr. Wickham's real purpose in running away Lydia had been only to seduce her and to satisfy his lust for her. If Mr. Wickham does marry Lydia ultimately, it is because of the role played by Mr. Darcy in the whole affair. Mr. Wickham states certain terms and conditions on which he is prepared to marry Lydia; and Mr. Darcy goes out of his way to fulfil those terms and conditions. Of course, Mr. Bennet too has to satisfy certain conditions laid down by Mr. Wickham, but the major role in bringing about the marriage is that of Mr. Darcy. Mr. Wickham also reveals at this time that he had incurred certain debts which are also now paid by Mr. Darcy. Thus, Mr. Wickham shows himself to be a mercenary man, besides being unscrupulous in his relations with girls.
Wickham's next victim is Lydia. It is rather difficult to explain his motives here, for Lydia has neither money, nor beauty, nor brains. And Wickham does not love her at all. The fact is that his gambling and his reckless extravagance involve him in a number of undischarged debts of honour, and he is forced to leave the neighbourhood. The elopement is brought on by the strength of Lydia's love for him. He has absolutely no intentions of marrying her. Mrs. Gardiner's letter to Elizabeth clearly reveals that, even after elopement, he cherishes the hope of more effectually making his fortune by marriage in some other country. His willingness to take Lydia along is either a pure piece of rakishness or an attempt to blackmail Mr. Bennet and extort as much money as possible. However, Darcy’s intervention persuaded intervention promises him substantial immediate relief and he is persuaded to marry Lydia. His conduct in this episode betrays his extreme selfishness, his mercenariness and venality, and his utter baseness and want of principle. In pursuing his selfish aims he is thoroughly calculating - as in the careful plan to gain Georgiana Darcy's money as well as revenge on Darcy. In most of his pursuits he is thoroughly mercenary, as in his pursuit of a wealthy wife and his readiness to marry Lydia when offered enough money. His style of living is debauched: he likes gambling to excess and drinking, and his sexual morals are weak or non-existent. He is totally lacking in honour, and runs away from paying gambling debts, feels no guilt about the social stigma which will attach to Lydia after she has run away with him, and shows no intention of marrying her. Nor on his return to Longbourn after the marriage does he show any shame. At the end, we feel that in marrying Lydia he gets the fate he deserves.
In conclusion, the essential statement made about marriage in Pride and Prejudice is that a marriage for money will end up unsuccessful. At the same time, a marriage based purely on the means of passion and love alone will also be doomed to failure. A balance must be met. Balance doesn’t necessarily have to be equal, but must be present in order for a marriage to be successful. This is proven in the novel Pride and Prejudice, by examples of unsuccessful marriages formed for money, and successful marriages formed by a combination of love and security.
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thomas wyatt
(a) The long love that .......... with bold pretence.
REFERENCE
(i) Poem: The Long Love that in my Thought doth Harbour
(ii) Poet: Sir Thomas Wyatt
CONTEXT
(i) Occurrence: Start of the Poem (Lines 1-3/14)
(ii) Content:
Love is lasting and resides in a heart. The poet is besotted in love, to the point that it shows on his face and he is just a fool overwhelmed by it all. Love has taken control of his thoughts. The object of his love, a woman, is turned off by is silly exuberance and reveres more substantial love. Anyway, love grows angry because his lust is not satisfied and retreats back into his lair, the poet's heart; where it is safe to experience pain and cry. The poet considers love his master, one who is control of his senses. He concludes that loving is life and it ends faithfully too.
EXPLANATION
In these lines the poets says that love harbours in thoughts, resides in heart and appears on face. The poet gives love the adjective of "long". Looking at the Oxford definition of long, it doesn't just mean an elongated shape; but also means lasting a great amount of time or relatively great in extent. Looking at it that way, the poet is telling us that his love is lasting and vast. Then he says that love harbours in thoughts. "Harbour" means keeping a thought or feeling in one's mind, especially secretly. The love that harbours in thoughts resides in the poet's heart. The word "his" suggests that the poet has personified love as a male. The love that resides in his heart is able to press against his face boldly and give away his emotions. The phrase "with bold pretence" likens the male lover's actions to that of the actions of a warrior who is making an audacious claim and therefore showing off his presence by utilizing the banner.
(b) It it be yea, .......... and yours no more.
REFERENCE
(i) Poem: Yea or Nay
(ii) Poet: Sir Thomas Wyatt
CONTEXT
(i) Occurrence: End of the Poem (Lines 9-12/12)
(ii) Content:
The poet challenges his lady to decide whether she is accepting of his suit. He pleads her to give up her trick and rely instead on her wit to impress him and show her true worth. He expresses that he burns with passion, and requests that if she has any compassion for him, she would tell him clearly, yes or no. He says that he will be happy with the answer yes, but if she says no, they will return to being friends as they were before. She will then be free to move on to get herself a new man, and the poet will be independent again, and no longer possessed by the lady.
EXPLANATION
In these lines the poet wants to get a clear cut answer from his beloved about their relationship to determine the course of their lives. The poet says that if her lady agrees to his suit, then he will be "fain" i.e. happy. Of course, a clever pun has been used here as the homophone "feign" means false, and it would be difficult to tell the two words apart without seeing the written word. If the poet is rejected, he says that they will return to being friends as they were before. There is no implication the he will be destroyed by grief or will mourn forever; the result will be undramatic. The poet callously implies that the lady will move on to anther lover. He, however, will be content to be "mine own" - his own man. His final words show that he will be relieved to no longer be owned by the lady. His freedom sounds much more appealing than her return to the fakery of courtly relationships with her beloved.
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Sunday 9 July 2017
Satire
Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.
Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is an example of poetic satire in which he has satirized the upper middle class of eighteenth century England. It exposes the vanity of young fashionable ladies and gentlemen and the frivolity of their actions. For example, Pope says about Belinda after losing her lock of hair:
Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is an example of poetic satire in which he has satirized the upper middle class of eighteenth century England. It exposes the vanity of young fashionable ladies and gentlemen and the frivolity of their actions. For example, Pope says about Belinda after losing her lock of hair:
“Whether the nymph shall break Diana’s law,
Or some frail china jar receive a flaw,
Or stain her honor, or her new brocade”
Or some frail china jar receive a flaw,
Or stain her honor, or her new brocade”
The line mocks at the values of the fashionable class of that age. The trivial things were thought of as equal to significant things. For Belinda, the loss of her virtue becomes equal to a China jar being cracked.
Example
Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver Travels is one of the finest satirical works in English Literature. Swift relentlessly satirizes politics, religion, and Western Culture. Criticizing party politics in England, Swift writes,
“that for above seventy Moons past there have been two struggling Parties in this Empire, under the Names of Tramecksan and Slamecksan from the high and low Heels on their shoes, by which they distinguish themselves.”
During Swift’s times, two rival political parties, the Whigs and the Tories, dominated the English political scene. Similarly, “The Kingdom of Lilliput” is dominated by two parties distinguished by the size of the heels of their boots. By the trivial disputes between the two Lilliputian parties”, Swift satirizes the minor disputes of the two English parties of his period.
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Thursday 6 July 2017
Points for part 1
☆ We find The main theme of paradise lost in the very beginning of the epic....
Man's first disobedience.......regain the holy seat
☆ the main theme of the epic is fall n redemption of man (Adam)
☆ satan in d grab of "infernal serpent" seduced eve to eat fruit of forbidden tree. She took that fruit n offered it to Adam with who out of "sheer love" eat n confirmef fall of men. This act brought death n woes into d world
☆ so we can write d theme of great epic as following
"To justify the ways of God to men"
☆ Milton shows this justification of God's way in logical manner as
God already warned them to aware of Satan n his impious plan to seduce them
☆ Milton also justify God's way to men in religious manner
As God has d power to generate good out of evil action of Adam n Eve. God shows d strength of his power n creates the new world.
☆ God also gives Adam d ability to repent which afterward becomes the sole way of forgiveness. Satan remained arrogant n can not get Devine grace.
☆ Milton also justify d ways of God to men in scientific manner. As God made d evil of death as an instrument of goodness. So death has become d source of relief from old age n deceases. Death is only way to regain God's companionship.
☆ Milton also justify God's way to men in poetic manner. We observe dpersonalities of Adam n Eve. Both of them r charming n innocent. After committing sin they feel sorry for their disobedience n shed tears. In this way they get +'vequalities as charity n humilit.....
Paradise lost has one theme
"To justify d ways of God to men"
Milton justifies this in logical religious scientific n poetic manner
Read it well n explain in ur own words. Expand d material these r main hints to handle d question
Context of Chaucer
Chaucer is regarded as father of English poetry. In his prologue he gives us detail of his age with s reference of different characters. His prologue is d mirror of his society. He takes characters from all fields of life n depict whole society in his prologue. The prologue is a social documentary.
(Yhan sy next jis character ki text aye usk intro k liye 2 3 sentences likhain)
After that explain given or mentioned verses from text
Context of John Donne
John Donne is a poet of 17th century. He is first metaphysical poet. In his poems he gives d concept of combination if body n soul n says combination of soul n body is compulsory in love.
(Next jis poem ki text aye us poem ka intro dain for instance u have to explain text from "go n catch a falling star" then do give intro of poem in d context as
This poem has been written in cynical mood. We can say this poem is about antigen and hostile to fair sex. These Lines r opening or closing lines of d song. He wants to tell that women r a bundle of contradiction. He laughs at her inconstancy n faithlessness......
after that explain given verses from Donne
Context of Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex is d king of Thebes. He is a ruler who is noble, wise, sincere, honest and loyal with his state. A plague spread over Thebes. All Thebes is in miserable condition. People r losing their Lives. Babies die unborn. All labour is vain. The death is dancing in d streets of Thebes. There is starvation due to which people die. There is nobody who solve d problem. All people come to Oedipus coz they have believe in his ability which he has shown in d matter of sphynx by solving her riddle.
(Next jo text paper Mae aai hae us sy phly ki thori c detail daini hae)
After that explain d given verses from related book
Context of Dr faustus
Dr faustus is a learned scholar of whitenberg. He has inordinate ambitions. His resolution in his aims brings about his death n destruction. He wants to gain super human power and for this sake he sails his soul to devil and gets worldly pleasure only for 24 hours n becomes damned forever.... next jo text paper Mae aay us sy phly ki story btain in short n explain mentioned verses from Dr faustus
[Context of The importance of being Ernest
This play is truly a satire on absurdities n foolishness of people of that time. This play deals with certain farcical remarks n situations which r witty n amusing one. The basic target of writer is to satire on hi society of English country of that time. Oscar wild in this play tries to prick the aristocracy class n do doubt he successfully does this job.
Next given verses sy phly ki situation discuss kren n after that explain d verses given in paper
Man's first disobedience.......regain the holy seat
☆ the main theme of the epic is fall n redemption of man (Adam)
☆ satan in d grab of "infernal serpent" seduced eve to eat fruit of forbidden tree. She took that fruit n offered it to Adam with who out of "sheer love" eat n confirmef fall of men. This act brought death n woes into d world
☆ so we can write d theme of great epic as following
"To justify the ways of God to men"
☆ Milton shows this justification of God's way in logical manner as
God already warned them to aware of Satan n his impious plan to seduce them
☆ Milton also justify God's way to men in religious manner
As God has d power to generate good out of evil action of Adam n Eve. God shows d strength of his power n creates the new world.
☆ God also gives Adam d ability to repent which afterward becomes the sole way of forgiveness. Satan remained arrogant n can not get Devine grace.
☆ Milton also justify d ways of God to men in scientific manner. As God made d evil of death as an instrument of goodness. So death has become d source of relief from old age n deceases. Death is only way to regain God's companionship.
☆ Milton also justify God's way to men in poetic manner. We observe dpersonalities of Adam n Eve. Both of them r charming n innocent. After committing sin they feel sorry for their disobedience n shed tears. In this way they get +'vequalities as charity n humilit.....
Paradise lost has one theme
"To justify d ways of God to men"
Milton justifies this in logical religious scientific n poetic manner
Read it well n explain in ur own words. Expand d material these r main hints to handle d question
Context of Chaucer
Chaucer is regarded as father of English poetry. In his prologue he gives us detail of his age with s reference of different characters. His prologue is d mirror of his society. He takes characters from all fields of life n depict whole society in his prologue. The prologue is a social documentary.
(Yhan sy next jis character ki text aye usk intro k liye 2 3 sentences likhain)
After that explain given or mentioned verses from text
Context of John Donne
John Donne is a poet of 17th century. He is first metaphysical poet. In his poems he gives d concept of combination if body n soul n says combination of soul n body is compulsory in love.
(Next jis poem ki text aye us poem ka intro dain for instance u have to explain text from "go n catch a falling star" then do give intro of poem in d context as
This poem has been written in cynical mood. We can say this poem is about antigen and hostile to fair sex. These Lines r opening or closing lines of d song. He wants to tell that women r a bundle of contradiction. He laughs at her inconstancy n faithlessness......
after that explain given verses from Donne
Context of Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex is d king of Thebes. He is a ruler who is noble, wise, sincere, honest and loyal with his state. A plague spread over Thebes. All Thebes is in miserable condition. People r losing their Lives. Babies die unborn. All labour is vain. The death is dancing in d streets of Thebes. There is starvation due to which people die. There is nobody who solve d problem. All people come to Oedipus coz they have believe in his ability which he has shown in d matter of sphynx by solving her riddle.
(Next jo text paper Mae aai hae us sy phly ki thori c detail daini hae)
After that explain d given verses from related book
Context of Dr faustus
Dr faustus is a learned scholar of whitenberg. He has inordinate ambitions. His resolution in his aims brings about his death n destruction. He wants to gain super human power and for this sake he sails his soul to devil and gets worldly pleasure only for 24 hours n becomes damned forever.... next jo text paper Mae aay us sy phly ki story btain in short n explain mentioned verses from Dr faustus
[Context of The importance of being Ernest
This play is truly a satire on absurdities n foolishness of people of that time. This play deals with certain farcical remarks n situations which r witty n amusing one. The basic target of writer is to satire on hi society of English country of that time. Oscar wild in this play tries to prick the aristocracy class n do doubt he successfully does this job.
Next given verses sy phly ki situation discuss kren n after that explain d verses given in paper
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Wednesday 5 July 2017
Brief history of English literature
History of English literature is divided into following period
1.Old or Anglo Saxon literature
2.Middle English literature
3.Elizabethan literature
4.The age of Milton
5.Restoration drama
6.Neoclassicism
7.Romanticism
8.The Victorian period
9.The twentieth century (modern)
10.Post modernism (present)
1.Old or Anglo Saxon literature
2.Middle English literature
3.Elizabethan literature
4.The age of Milton
5.Restoration drama
6.Neoclassicism
7.Romanticism
8.The Victorian period
9.The twentieth century (modern)
10.Post modernism (present)
1. Old English literature: was written from about 600-1100, The greatest old English poem called 'Beowulf ' whose author is unknown.
The old English authors, are known by name are Cadmon,the author of a short hymn,and Cynewulf' the author of four long poems
2.Middle English literature:(1100-1500)
Poetry: the most important poet of the time is Geoffrey Chaucer, his greatest work is Canterbury tales.
Poetry: the most important poet of the time is Geoffrey Chaucer, his greatest work is Canterbury tales.
Drama: The three main types of medieval drama are mystery plays,about Bible stories,miracle plays about the lives of saints and the miracles the performed and morality plays,in which character s personify moral qualities such as charity or vice.
3.Elizabethan literature: Written approximately during the time of queen Elizabeth (1558-1603).
Poetry:
Edmund Spencer the author of The Faerie Queen's, Walter Raleigh,and William Shakespeare.
Drama:
Drama is the greatest form written during the Elizabethan age.Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of all times ,his best works include Hamlet, king Lear,Macbeth Othello and merchant of vinice, Marlow six plays. Ben Johnson alchemist John donne 1572 -1631 metaphysical school of poetry
4. The age of Milton
Milton's paradise lost,
Robert Herrick famous for beautiful lyrics.
Milton's paradise lost,
Robert Herrick famous for beautiful lyrics.
5.Restoration Drama
The main form of drama of this period are the heroic plays as written by john Dryden,and the comedy of manners as written by Richard sheriden and William Congreve.
6.Neoclassicsm:
The characteristics of neoclassicism are;
1) Poetry should be guided by reason
2) The role of the poet is that of the teacher
3) Poetry should be written according to fixed rules.
4) Poetry should use special diction
The major representative of this school
Are john Dryden and Alexander pope.
2) The role of the poet is that of the teacher
3) Poetry should be written according to fixed rules.
4) Poetry should use special diction
The major representative of this school
Are john Dryden and Alexander pope.
7. Romanticism
The main characteristics are
1) Poetry is the expression of personal feelings and emotions.
2) Imagination is a main source of poetry
3) Nature in romantic poetry is a living thing,a teacher of man,and a healing power Wordsworth' Keats, Byron, Shelley and Coleridge
2) Imagination is a main source of poetry
3) Nature in romantic poetry is a living thing,a teacher of man,and a healing power Wordsworth' Keats, Byron, Shelley and Coleridge
8. The Victorian period.
It includes second half of the nineteenth century.
Poetry. Alfred tennyson and Robert Browning are the major poets of this period.
(Novel) the novel was the main literary production of the Victorian age
Charles Dickens, Jane Austen,Emily Bronte,George Eliot,Thomas hardy.
(Drama)
Oscar wild' s importance of being Earnest.
9.(20th century)
Poetry. Alfred tennyson and Robert Browning are the major poets of this period.
(Novel) the novel was the main literary production of the Victorian age
Charles Dickens, Jane Austen,Emily Bronte,George Eliot,Thomas hardy.
(Drama)
Oscar wild' s importance of being Earnest.
9.(20th century)
As a result of the political changes and the world wars,the sense of confidence in Victorian literature is replaced by the loss of faith,suffering, and uncertainty that modern literature expresses.stylistic experimentation and revolution against all literary tradition are the mark of modern literature. Some major figures include w.b Yeats, T.S. Eliot and W.H Auden in poetry,
Virginia wolf and James Joyce in the novel, and Samuel Becket in drama.
Virginia wolf and James Joyce in the novel, and Samuel Becket in drama.
10.(Post Modernism (C.1945-present)
A notoriously ambiguous term,specially as it refers to literature, post modernism can b seen as response to the elitism of high modernism as well as to the horrors of world war ll .post modern literature is characterized by a disjointed,fragmented pasticcio of high and low culture that reflects the absence of tradition and structure in a world driven by technology and consumerism,
Julian Barnes,don't delillo,tony Morrison,Vladimir nobokov,Thomas Pynchon and Kurt Vonnegut are modern writers.
Julian Barnes,don't delillo,tony Morrison,Vladimir nobokov,Thomas Pynchon and Kurt Vonnegut are modern writers.
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Tuesday 4 July 2017
Chaucer main points
Main points that we discuss under art of characterization
1: A great observer
2: Types n individuals
3: originality of Chaucer
4: Realism
5: medieval as well as modern touch
6: Balance between types n individuals
7: Deep study of human psyche
8: Physical appearance of characters
9: Humour
10: satire
11: irony
12: tolerance
13: chief classes
14: Depersonalization
1: A great observer
2: Types n individuals
3: originality of Chaucer
4: Realism
5: medieval as well as modern touch
6: Balance between types n individuals
7: Deep study of human psyche
8: Physical appearance of characters
9: Humour
10: satire
11: irony
12: tolerance
13: chief classes
14: Depersonalization
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Sunday 2 July 2017
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS PART 1
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS PART 1
Paper (1): Classical Poetry
1. Chaucer’s art of characterization
2. Irony and satire in the prologue
3. Treatment of Ecclesiastical characters
4. Chaucer’s style and narrative skill
5. The Prologue as a picture gallery
6. Critical Appraisals of characters: Knight, WIB, Pardoner, Summonor, Parson, Friar and Prioress
7. Wyatt’s Contribution/ Wyatt as poet or sonneteer
8. Surrey’s Contribution/ Surrey as poet or sonneteer
9. Critical Appraisals: The Long Love that in my thought I harbor, Is it possible? Madam Withouten many words, Wyatt’s Death, Prisoned in Windsor, Love that doth reign and lived in within my heart
10. Donne as a metaphysical poet
11. Donne as a love poet
12. Critical Appraisals of select poems: Death be not proud, The Sun Rising, A Valediction: forbidding Mourning, The Good Morrow, Twicknam Garden
13. Milton’s Grand Style
14. Paradise as a Renaissance Epic
15. Hero of Paradise Lost: Satan or Adam
16. Main Theme in PL: Justifying the ways of God
17. The Rape of the Lock as a Mock-Epic
18. The Role and Function of Machinery in ROL
19. Character of Belinda
20. ROL as a Social Satire.
Paper (2): Classical Drama
21. Oedipus’s Fate-Action/ Hamartia of Oedipus: hubris
22. Oedipus as a tragedy
23. Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex
24. Main Theme: Relationship between man and gods.
25. Dr. Faustus as an over-reacher/ Faustus as Icarus
26. The real sin of Doctor Faustus
27. Dr. Faustus as a tragic Hero
28. Renaissance Elements in Dr. Faustus
29. Othello as a tragic hero.
30. Othello as a (domestic) tragedy
31. Theme of Jealousy in Othello
32. Iago’s motives and Othello’s cause of destruction
33. Winter’s Tale as a tragic-comedy
34. Theme of Jealousy in Winter’s Tale
35. Pastoral elements in Winter’s Tale.
36. Importance of Being Earnest: theme of love, money, marriage and social status.
37. IBE: The title – its significance and value
38. A trivial comedy for serious people/ IBE as comedy
39. Oscar Wilde’s style: pun, wit, paradox & verbatism
40. IBE as a social satire
Paper (3): Novel
41. Pride and Prejudice: Title and significance
42. Character of Elizabeth in P&P
43. Theme of love and marriage in P&P
44. Jane Austen’s Irony
45. A Tale of Two Cities: Title and its value
46. The theme of resurrection & renunciation in ATC
47. Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities
48. ATC is a social novel in political background
49. Sydney Carton and his sacrifice in ATC
50. Adam Bede and Psychological Realism
51. George Eliot’s art of characterization
52. Hetty’s suffering; its cause and redemption
53. Education and regeneration of Adam Bede
54. The Return of the Native as a tragedy
55. Egdon Heath as a character in TRN
56. Chance and Fate – Hardy as a novelist
57. The Cause of Eustacia or Clym’s tragedy in TRN
Paper (4): Prose
58. Bacon as an essayist/ his style and contribution
59. Bacon as a moralist
60. Swift as a satirist
61. Swift as a misanthrope
62. Describe the first and the last voyage G-Travels.
63. Popularity of Gulliver’s Travels
64. Seamus Heaney’s justification, functions and redressing effects of poetry.
65. What is culture and what is imperialism and how does Edward Said relate the two?
66. Why does Edward Said refer to various novelists to prove his thesis of imperialism?
67. Bertrand Russell as an essayist.
Paper (5): American Literature
68. John Ashbery as a modern poet
69. Major themes in Ashbery and Richard Wilbur
70. Major Themes in Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath
71. Adrienne Rich as a poet
72. Critical Appraisals: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, Diving into the Wreck, The Painter, Melodic Trains, Still Citizen Sparrow, After the Last Bulletins, You are! Ariel, Arrival of the Bee box and Final Notations
73. The Crucible: its title and significance
74. John Proctor as a tragic hero
75. Mass Hysteria and theme of evil in the Crucible
76. Relationship between individual & society in The Crucible/ Individual commitment in society
77. Character of Abigail Williams
78. For Whom the Bell Tolls: Main theme
79. Robert Jordon as a tragic hero
80. Justify Robert Jordon’s sacrifice
81. Robert Jordon as a code hero
82. Hemingway’s style – Fictional technique
83. Symbolic Significance of the title Jazz
84. City as a character in Jazz
85. Major themes in Jazz
86. Mourning Becomes Electra as a tragedy
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1. Chaucer’s art of characterization
2. Irony and satire in the prologue
3. Treatment of Ecclesiastical characters
4. Chaucer’s style and narrative skill
5. The Prologue as a picture gallery
6. Critical Appraisals of characters: Knight, WIB, Pardoner, Summonor, Parson, Friar and Prioress
7. Wyatt’s Contribution/ Wyatt as poet or sonneteer
8. Surrey’s Contribution/ Surrey as poet or sonneteer
9. Critical Appraisals: The Long Love that in my thought I harbor, Is it possible? Madam Withouten many words, Wyatt’s Death, Prisoned in Windsor, Love that doth reign and lived in within my heart
10. Donne as a metaphysical poet
11. Donne as a love poet
12. Critical Appraisals of select poems: Death be not proud, The Sun Rising, A Valediction: forbidding Mourning, The Good Morrow, Twicknam Garden
13. Milton’s Grand Style
14. Paradise as a Renaissance Epic
15. Hero of Paradise Lost: Satan or Adam
16. Main Theme in PL: Justifying the ways of God
17. The Rape of the Lock as a Mock-Epic
18. The Role and Function of Machinery in ROL
19. Character of Belinda
20. ROL as a Social Satire.
Paper (2): Classical Drama
21. Oedipus’s Fate-Action/ Hamartia of Oedipus: hubris
22. Oedipus as a tragedy
23. Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex
24. Main Theme: Relationship between man and gods.
25. Dr. Faustus as an over-reacher/ Faustus as Icarus
26. The real sin of Doctor Faustus
27. Dr. Faustus as a tragic Hero
28. Renaissance Elements in Dr. Faustus
29. Othello as a tragic hero.
30. Othello as a (domestic) tragedy
31. Theme of Jealousy in Othello
32. Iago’s motives and Othello’s cause of destruction
33. Winter’s Tale as a tragic-comedy
34. Theme of Jealousy in Winter’s Tale
35. Pastoral elements in Winter’s Tale.
36. Importance of Being Earnest: theme of love, money, marriage and social status.
37. IBE: The title – its significance and value
38. A trivial comedy for serious people/ IBE as comedy
39. Oscar Wilde’s style: pun, wit, paradox & verbatism
40. IBE as a social satire
Paper (3): Novel
41. Pride and Prejudice: Title and significance
42. Character of Elizabeth in P&P
43. Theme of love and marriage in P&P
44. Jane Austen’s Irony
45. A Tale of Two Cities: Title and its value
46. The theme of resurrection & renunciation in ATC
47. Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities
48. ATC is a social novel in political background
49. Sydney Carton and his sacrifice in ATC
50. Adam Bede and Psychological Realism
51. George Eliot’s art of characterization
52. Hetty’s suffering; its cause and redemption
53. Education and regeneration of Adam Bede
54. The Return of the Native as a tragedy
55. Egdon Heath as a character in TRN
56. Chance and Fate – Hardy as a novelist
57. The Cause of Eustacia or Clym’s tragedy in TRN
Paper (4): Prose
58. Bacon as an essayist/ his style and contribution
59. Bacon as a moralist
60. Swift as a satirist
61. Swift as a misanthrope
62. Describe the first and the last voyage G-Travels.
63. Popularity of Gulliver’s Travels
64. Seamus Heaney’s justification, functions and redressing effects of poetry.
65. What is culture and what is imperialism and how does Edward Said relate the two?
66. Why does Edward Said refer to various novelists to prove his thesis of imperialism?
67. Bertrand Russell as an essayist.
Paper (5): American Literature
68. John Ashbery as a modern poet
69. Major themes in Ashbery and Richard Wilbur
70. Major Themes in Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath
71. Adrienne Rich as a poet
72. Critical Appraisals: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, Diving into the Wreck, The Painter, Melodic Trains, Still Citizen Sparrow, After the Last Bulletins, You are! Ariel, Arrival of the Bee box and Final Notations
73. The Crucible: its title and significance
74. John Proctor as a tragic hero
75. Mass Hysteria and theme of evil in the Crucible
76. Relationship between individual & society in The Crucible/ Individual commitment in society
77. Character of Abigail Williams
78. For Whom the Bell Tolls: Main theme
79. Robert Jordon as a tragic hero
80. Justify Robert Jordon’s sacrifice
81. Robert Jordon as a code hero
82. Hemingway’s style – Fictional technique
83. Symbolic Significance of the title Jazz
84. City as a character in Jazz
85. Major themes in Jazz
86. Mourning Becomes Electra as a tragedy
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Importance of being earnest CHARACTERS
John (Jack) Worthing A young, eligible bachelor about town. In the city he goes by the name Ernest, and in the country he is Jack — a local magistrate of the county with responsibilities. His family pedigree is a mystery, but his seriousness and sincerity are evident. He proposes to The Honorable Gwendolen Fairfax and, though leading a double life, eventually demonstrates his conformity to the Victorian moral and social standards.
Algernon Moncrieff A languid poser of the leisure class, bored by conventions and looking for excitement. He, too, leads a double life, being Algernon in the city and Ernest in the country. Algernon, unlike Jack, is not serious and is generally out for his own gratification. He falls in love and proposes to Jack's ward, Cecily, while posing as Jack's wicked younger brother, Ernest.
Lady Bracknell The perfect symbol of Victorian earnestness — the belief that style is more important than substance and that social and class barriers are to be enforced. Lady Bracknell is Algernon's aunt trying to find a suitable wife for him. A strongly opinionated matriarch, dowager, and tyrant, she believes wealth is more important than breeding and bullies everyone in her path. Ironically, she married into the upper class from beneath it. She attempts to bully her daughter, Gwendolen.
The Honorable Gwendolen Fairfax Lady Bracknell's daughter, exhibiting some of the sophistication and confidence of a London socialite, believes style to be important, not sincerity. She is submissive to her mother in public but rebels in private. While demonstrating the absurdity of such ideals as only marrying a man named Ernest, she also agrees to marry Jack despite her mother's disapproval of his origins.
Cecily Cardew Jack Worthing's ward, daughter of his adopted father, Sir Thomas Cardew. She is of debutante age, 18, but she is being tutored at Jack's secluded country estate by Miss Prism, her governess. She is romantic and imaginative, and feeling the repression of Prism's rules. A silly and naïve girl, she declares that she wants to meet a "wicked man." Less sophisticated than Gwendolen, she falls in love with Algernon but feels he would be more stable if named Ernest.
Miss Prism Cecily's governess and a symbol of Victorian moral righteousness. She is educating Cecily to have no imagination or sensationalism in her life. Quoting scripture as a symbol of her Victorian morality, she reveals a secret life of passion by her concern for the whereabouts of her misplaced novel and her flirtation with the local vicar. She becomes the source of Jack's revelation about his parents.
Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D. Like Miss Prism, he is the source of Victorian moral judgments, but under the surface he appears to be an old lecher. His sermons are interchangeable, mocking religious conventions. Like the servants, he does what Jack (the landowner) wants: performing weddings, christenings, sermons, funerals, and so on. However, beneath the religious exterior, his heart beats for Miss Prism.
Lane and Merriman Servants of Algernon and Jack. Lane says soothing and comforting things to his employer but stays within the neutral guidelines of a servant. He is leading a double life, eating sandwiches and drinking champagne when his master is not present. He aids and abets the lies of Algernon. Merriman keeps the structure of the plot working: He announces people and happenings. Like Lane, he does not comment on his "betters," but solemnly watches their folly. His neutral facial expressions during crisis and chaos undoubtedly made the upper-class audience laugh.
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Saturday 1 July 2017
Intellectual rubbish russel
An Outline of intellectual Rubbish Russell
The Meaning of Intellectual Rubbish
Although it is often said that man is a rational animal, Russell finds hardly any evidence of human rationality in the world. Russell finds cruelty, persecution, and superstition increasing by leaps and bounds; and any one asserting that human beings are rational will have to be dubbed as an old foggy not aware of the realities. Russell gives us an abundance of concrete examples to prove his thesis in this essay.
He uses the phrase “intellectual rubbish” to describe all false beliefs, baseless opinions, superstitions of various kinds, and a general obscurantist attitude. All this intellectual rubbish is the consequence of an irrational view of things. People follow certain beliefs, ideas, and customs without inquiring into their validity. In actual fact, many of these beliefs and customs lead to evil and suffering in the world.
Some Examples of the Irrationality of Priests
Russell begins with an exposure of the irrationality of the priests. The opinions and ideas propagated by priests are a glaring example of intellectual rubbish. Russell points out that the past ages, when religious faith dominated the minds of people, were ages of superstition and not rational beliefs. The priests encouraged people to believe in miracles performed by saints and in the evil brought about by wizards through the exercise of black magic. Many thousands of people were burnt at the stake on a charge of practising witchcraft. It was thought that men were punished by God for their sins through epidemics, famines, earthquakes and floods. Very little was known scientifically about the world.
The Illogicality and the Contradictions in Religious Beliefs
Nor did the priests become rational when science began to make its discoveries. The priests fought a losing battle against the advances in astronomy and geology, in anatomy and physiology, in biology and psychology and sociology. They did their best to prevent the rise of geology; they fought against Darwin’s theory of evolution, and in recent times they have been fighting against scientific theories of psychology and education. So superstitious have the priests been that when the lightning-rod was invented they condemned it as an impious attempt to defeat the will of God. Priests are so illogical as to treat even the mercies of God as discriminatory. They still hold a dogmatic conception of sin which appears to be very puzzling to the rational mind. They believe, for instance, that sexual intercourse is unholy and should be avoided. Extremists in this case were men like Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi, not to speak of the Manichaeans. And there was a time when priests did not think it sinful for human beings to ill-treat animals, and when they opposed the dissection of dead bodies for medical purposes as an impious act. Much of modern morality is still derived from traditional taboos based originally upon superstitions. Then there, are the logical difficulties in the notion of sin. If God is all-powerful, as the priests say, why does He not prevent all sinfulness. If everything happens in compliance with God’s wishes, then Nero’s murder of his mother must also have been committed in accordance with God’s wishes.
Russell’s Criticism of Religious Beliefs Justified
There is no doubt that most of the so-called religious beliefs are merely superstitions, and Russell is fully justified in pointing out that priests have largely been responsible for the hold of such superstitions on the minds of people. Even today when we live in the age of science, superstitions have not completely been dispelled, especially in our own country. In our country, priests are still all-powerful and people perform all kinds of silly rituals and ceremonies in compliance with the directives of these priests who are regarded as men of great spiritual power even when they are most worldly-minded and materialistic. Religion has always served as a means of the exploitation of the ignorant by priests who are no better in a spiritual sense than the common people. Even today, when we make an extensive use of the practical appliances that science has placed at our disposal, we refuse to benefit by scientific ideas; in other words, science has not yet influenced our thinking, though it has transformed our external life by providing us with such useful inventions as the railways, aeroplanes, telephones, television, and so on. In the intellectual and moral sense we are still living in the Middle Ages, and we are still the slaves of traditional beliefs and practices which have completely lost their meaning in the eyes of any rational individual. No intelligent man can therefore fail to appreciate the rational scrutiny to which Russell subjects some of the traditional ideas of the western man, though such a scrutiny is even more urgently called for in the case of our country.
Some Other Irrational Beliefs and Practices
Russell then proceeds to examine the feeling of self-importance which leads individuals to hold many wrong beliefs. The glorification of man, which took a new form after the theory of evolution became an accepted fact, is one example of this feeling of self-importance which an individual nourishes. People Have begun to believe that evolution has been guided by one great purpose, namely that, through millions of centuries of the process of evolution, God was preparing the great climax, Man. Russell finds such a belief to be ridiculous, especially when it is realized that all life on this planet is temporary and that one day no trace will be left of man who thinks himself to be greatest product of evolution. The glorification of man, says Russell, receives no support from a rational, scientific view of the universe. Another source of false belief is the love of the marvellous. During the Great War of 1914-18, for instance, it was widely believed in England that British troops had received encouragement and help from the angels of Mons. Myths of this kind lead to a lot of cruelty. For instance, it was believed for a long time that insanity was the result of a devil taking possession of a human being. This irrational belief led to the practice of a very cruel beating being given to a madman with the object of driving away the devil.
Russell’s Sound Approach
Here, again, Russell’s approach is perfectly scientific and sound. It is, indeed, a sobering thought that no trace will one day be left of human beings on this earth because all life will come to an end. Man has no reason to feel proud of himself for being the supreme product of the process of evolution. Besides, Russell points to such cruel specimens of humanity as the tyrants Nero, Hitler, and Mussolini, who belie the belief that man is supremely noble. The belief in the supernatural is also absurd, as Russell rightly points out. The beating of a madman with the object of driving away the evil spirit is still wide-spread in our own country. India indeed “offers a truly formidable mass of beliefs and customs which can be described as “intellectual rubbish”.
Irrational Theories of Race and Blood
Russell next draws our attention to irrational beliefs about race and blood. The belief in the superiority of the white man over coloured people is a complete myth, says Russell. Physiologists have clearly told us that there is no difference between the blood of a Negro and the blood of a white man. The whole conception of superior races is an irrational belief which has resulted from the extravagant feeling of self-importance which is nourished by the holders of power. Equally irrational are the racial theories according to which certain populations of Europe are superior to others.
The Myth of Racial Superiority Exploded
Here undoubtedly is another convincing example of irrationality. The irrational beliefs pertaining to race and blood have been very wide-spread over a long period of time in the past. Today, however, these beliefs find little favour with people. Even Africans nowadays think themselves the equals of the white people, not to speak of the Indians some of whom have begun to regard themselves as superior to the white people on the basis of their ancient culture.
Absurd Beliefs about Precious Stones
In the economic sphere, too, says Russell, there are many wide-spread superstitions. There is, for instance, a belief in the magical properties of gold and precious stones. Nor is there any doubt that even the most sophisticated people in our own country still believe that particular precious stones such as the ruby, the sapphire, and the emerald, can bring good luck and prosperity to those who wear these. In this connection, it is noteworthy that the same kind of precious stone will not bring prosperity to everybody. A specialist has therefore to be consulted as to which precious stone will suit a particular individual, and the specialist of course extracts his own fee.
The Belief about the Inevitability of War
Another irrational belief is that human nature cannot be changed and that, for this reason, there will always be wars. Russell informs us that it is definitely possible to mould human nature, and to direct the human mind into constructive channels. For instance, says Russell, it is possible for a powerful government to educate its people in such a way that they become sane and reasonable; at the same time, it is equally possible for the same government to give such a wrong kind of education to its people as to change them into fanatical lunatics. Here, again, Russell speaks with an authority which cannot be questioned. Modern psychology definitely shows that the minds of vast populations can be moulded and controlled by the government provided it has enough military power to prevent any rebellion against the methods which it employs. Once a population has been moulded in accordance with the aims of the government, it will then automatically continue to think along the lines laid down by the government, provided no forces operate to bring about any further change in the minds of the people.
Abnormality and Punishment
There are a number of other irrational beliefs to which Russell draws our attention and which are the cause of much injustice and cruelty. For instance, it has long been believed that abnormality or wrong-doing can be remedied through punishment. The irrationality of such a belief has been proved by modern medical men who have pointed out that punishment only aggravates the trouble. Punishment may prevent crimes which are sane in origin; but punishment cannot prevent crimes which result from some psychological abnormality. For instance, punishment may reform an ordinary thief; but punishment will merely aggravate the thieving tendency of a kleptomaniac. (A kleptomaniac is a person who, on account of some psychological abnormality, simply cannot resist the temptation to commit a theft when the opportunity offers itself. Such a man will commit a theft even when he is not needy.) Thus it was wrong to incorporate too much severity towards the Germans in the Treaty of Versailles to punish them for their aggressiveness. The victorious nations should have realized that the Germans were lunatics and not ordinary criminals in having embarked upon a World war (1914-1918). Russell also mentions the irrational beliefs about lucky and unlucky days, about unlucky numbers (such as thirteen), and objections against birth control. Women too have been the subject of irrational beliefs on the part of men, and vice versa. Generalizations about nation characteristics are yet another example of irrationality.
The Value of this Essay in Our Practical Life
Russell has given us a multitude of concrete and homely examples of irrational beliefs of or what he justly calls intellectual rubbish. All irrational beliefs are misleading, and most of them lead to persecution and cruelty, as Russell has clearly demonstrated. In this essay, Russell does not offer any metaphysical or philosophical doctrines and theories; all the ideas are such as can be understood by the ordinary reader, because all these ideas pertain to the daily life of the ordinary man, though many of the ideas are also applicable to large communities and nations. An essay such as this is of great value because it can rid many of us from the superstitions and irrational beliefs which hold a sway upon our minds and which largely determine our actions. If we follow the simple rules which Russell enunciates towards the close of the essay, we can certainly make our lives more rational, more fruitful, more humane, and more meaningful.
The Meaning of Intellectual Rubbish
Although it is often said that man is a rational animal, Russell finds hardly any evidence of human rationality in the world. Russell finds cruelty, persecution, and superstition increasing by leaps and bounds; and any one asserting that human beings are rational will have to be dubbed as an old foggy not aware of the realities. Russell gives us an abundance of concrete examples to prove his thesis in this essay.
He uses the phrase “intellectual rubbish” to describe all false beliefs, baseless opinions, superstitions of various kinds, and a general obscurantist attitude. All this intellectual rubbish is the consequence of an irrational view of things. People follow certain beliefs, ideas, and customs without inquiring into their validity. In actual fact, many of these beliefs and customs lead to evil and suffering in the world.
Some Examples of the Irrationality of Priests
Russell begins with an exposure of the irrationality of the priests. The opinions and ideas propagated by priests are a glaring example of intellectual rubbish. Russell points out that the past ages, when religious faith dominated the minds of people, were ages of superstition and not rational beliefs. The priests encouraged people to believe in miracles performed by saints and in the evil brought about by wizards through the exercise of black magic. Many thousands of people were burnt at the stake on a charge of practising witchcraft. It was thought that men were punished by God for their sins through epidemics, famines, earthquakes and floods. Very little was known scientifically about the world.
The Illogicality and the Contradictions in Religious Beliefs
Nor did the priests become rational when science began to make its discoveries. The priests fought a losing battle against the advances in astronomy and geology, in anatomy and physiology, in biology and psychology and sociology. They did their best to prevent the rise of geology; they fought against Darwin’s theory of evolution, and in recent times they have been fighting against scientific theories of psychology and education. So superstitious have the priests been that when the lightning-rod was invented they condemned it as an impious attempt to defeat the will of God. Priests are so illogical as to treat even the mercies of God as discriminatory. They still hold a dogmatic conception of sin which appears to be very puzzling to the rational mind. They believe, for instance, that sexual intercourse is unholy and should be avoided. Extremists in this case were men like Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi, not to speak of the Manichaeans. And there was a time when priests did not think it sinful for human beings to ill-treat animals, and when they opposed the dissection of dead bodies for medical purposes as an impious act. Much of modern morality is still derived from traditional taboos based originally upon superstitions. Then there, are the logical difficulties in the notion of sin. If God is all-powerful, as the priests say, why does He not prevent all sinfulness. If everything happens in compliance with God’s wishes, then Nero’s murder of his mother must also have been committed in accordance with God’s wishes.
Russell’s Criticism of Religious Beliefs Justified
There is no doubt that most of the so-called religious beliefs are merely superstitions, and Russell is fully justified in pointing out that priests have largely been responsible for the hold of such superstitions on the minds of people. Even today when we live in the age of science, superstitions have not completely been dispelled, especially in our own country. In our country, priests are still all-powerful and people perform all kinds of silly rituals and ceremonies in compliance with the directives of these priests who are regarded as men of great spiritual power even when they are most worldly-minded and materialistic. Religion has always served as a means of the exploitation of the ignorant by priests who are no better in a spiritual sense than the common people. Even today, when we make an extensive use of the practical appliances that science has placed at our disposal, we refuse to benefit by scientific ideas; in other words, science has not yet influenced our thinking, though it has transformed our external life by providing us with such useful inventions as the railways, aeroplanes, telephones, television, and so on. In the intellectual and moral sense we are still living in the Middle Ages, and we are still the slaves of traditional beliefs and practices which have completely lost their meaning in the eyes of any rational individual. No intelligent man can therefore fail to appreciate the rational scrutiny to which Russell subjects some of the traditional ideas of the western man, though such a scrutiny is even more urgently called for in the case of our country.
Some Other Irrational Beliefs and Practices
Russell then proceeds to examine the feeling of self-importance which leads individuals to hold many wrong beliefs. The glorification of man, which took a new form after the theory of evolution became an accepted fact, is one example of this feeling of self-importance which an individual nourishes. People Have begun to believe that evolution has been guided by one great purpose, namely that, through millions of centuries of the process of evolution, God was preparing the great climax, Man. Russell finds such a belief to be ridiculous, especially when it is realized that all life on this planet is temporary and that one day no trace will be left of man who thinks himself to be greatest product of evolution. The glorification of man, says Russell, receives no support from a rational, scientific view of the universe. Another source of false belief is the love of the marvellous. During the Great War of 1914-18, for instance, it was widely believed in England that British troops had received encouragement and help from the angels of Mons. Myths of this kind lead to a lot of cruelty. For instance, it was believed for a long time that insanity was the result of a devil taking possession of a human being. This irrational belief led to the practice of a very cruel beating being given to a madman with the object of driving away the devil.
Russell’s Sound Approach
Here, again, Russell’s approach is perfectly scientific and sound. It is, indeed, a sobering thought that no trace will one day be left of human beings on this earth because all life will come to an end. Man has no reason to feel proud of himself for being the supreme product of the process of evolution. Besides, Russell points to such cruel specimens of humanity as the tyrants Nero, Hitler, and Mussolini, who belie the belief that man is supremely noble. The belief in the supernatural is also absurd, as Russell rightly points out. The beating of a madman with the object of driving away the evil spirit is still wide-spread in our own country. India indeed “offers a truly formidable mass of beliefs and customs which can be described as “intellectual rubbish”.
Irrational Theories of Race and Blood
Russell next draws our attention to irrational beliefs about race and blood. The belief in the superiority of the white man over coloured people is a complete myth, says Russell. Physiologists have clearly told us that there is no difference between the blood of a Negro and the blood of a white man. The whole conception of superior races is an irrational belief which has resulted from the extravagant feeling of self-importance which is nourished by the holders of power. Equally irrational are the racial theories according to which certain populations of Europe are superior to others.
The Myth of Racial Superiority Exploded
Here undoubtedly is another convincing example of irrationality. The irrational beliefs pertaining to race and blood have been very wide-spread over a long period of time in the past. Today, however, these beliefs find little favour with people. Even Africans nowadays think themselves the equals of the white people, not to speak of the Indians some of whom have begun to regard themselves as superior to the white people on the basis of their ancient culture.
Absurd Beliefs about Precious Stones
In the economic sphere, too, says Russell, there are many wide-spread superstitions. There is, for instance, a belief in the magical properties of gold and precious stones. Nor is there any doubt that even the most sophisticated people in our own country still believe that particular precious stones such as the ruby, the sapphire, and the emerald, can bring good luck and prosperity to those who wear these. In this connection, it is noteworthy that the same kind of precious stone will not bring prosperity to everybody. A specialist has therefore to be consulted as to which precious stone will suit a particular individual, and the specialist of course extracts his own fee.
The Belief about the Inevitability of War
Another irrational belief is that human nature cannot be changed and that, for this reason, there will always be wars. Russell informs us that it is definitely possible to mould human nature, and to direct the human mind into constructive channels. For instance, says Russell, it is possible for a powerful government to educate its people in such a way that they become sane and reasonable; at the same time, it is equally possible for the same government to give such a wrong kind of education to its people as to change them into fanatical lunatics. Here, again, Russell speaks with an authority which cannot be questioned. Modern psychology definitely shows that the minds of vast populations can be moulded and controlled by the government provided it has enough military power to prevent any rebellion against the methods which it employs. Once a population has been moulded in accordance with the aims of the government, it will then automatically continue to think along the lines laid down by the government, provided no forces operate to bring about any further change in the minds of the people.
Abnormality and Punishment
There are a number of other irrational beliefs to which Russell draws our attention and which are the cause of much injustice and cruelty. For instance, it has long been believed that abnormality or wrong-doing can be remedied through punishment. The irrationality of such a belief has been proved by modern medical men who have pointed out that punishment only aggravates the trouble. Punishment may prevent crimes which are sane in origin; but punishment cannot prevent crimes which result from some psychological abnormality. For instance, punishment may reform an ordinary thief; but punishment will merely aggravate the thieving tendency of a kleptomaniac. (A kleptomaniac is a person who, on account of some psychological abnormality, simply cannot resist the temptation to commit a theft when the opportunity offers itself. Such a man will commit a theft even when he is not needy.) Thus it was wrong to incorporate too much severity towards the Germans in the Treaty of Versailles to punish them for their aggressiveness. The victorious nations should have realized that the Germans were lunatics and not ordinary criminals in having embarked upon a World war (1914-1918). Russell also mentions the irrational beliefs about lucky and unlucky days, about unlucky numbers (such as thirteen), and objections against birth control. Women too have been the subject of irrational beliefs on the part of men, and vice versa. Generalizations about nation characteristics are yet another example of irrationality.
The Value of this Essay in Our Practical Life
Russell has given us a multitude of concrete and homely examples of irrational beliefs of or what he justly calls intellectual rubbish. All irrational beliefs are misleading, and most of them lead to persecution and cruelty, as Russell has clearly demonstrated. In this essay, Russell does not offer any metaphysical or philosophical doctrines and theories; all the ideas are such as can be understood by the ordinary reader, because all these ideas pertain to the daily life of the ordinary man, though many of the ideas are also applicable to large communities and nations. An essay such as this is of great value because it can rid many of us from the superstitions and irrational beliefs which hold a sway upon our minds and which largely determine our actions. If we follow the simple rules which Russell enunciates towards the close of the essay, we can certainly make our lives more rational, more fruitful, more humane, and more meaningful.
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Theme of parenthood in pride n prejudice
themes in Pride and Prejudice is parenthood
According to a critic, one of the important themes in Pride and Prejudice is parenthood. How is this theme dealt with in this novel?
The Need of Parental Supervision over Children
Parenthood is indeed an important theme in Pride and Prejudice. And it is not the excellences of parenthood which the novel highlights; it is the deficiencies in parental supervision over children that are brought into prominence by the author. The novel seeks to show that the upbringing of children is something to which many parents up not attach that importance which it deserves. In fact, the writer shows her concern for the need of proper upbringing of children by parents by exposing to our view what goes wrong when parents fail in this duty or take the matter lightly or are too lazy to pay any attention to it.
The Failure of Mr. Bennet to Put a Check upon Lydia and Kitty
Early in the novel we witness the sad consequences of parental neglect in bringing up and educating children properly or adequately. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the parents concerned and in Chapter 7 we are told of the excessive interest which their two youngest daughters, Catherine (Kitty) and Lydia, take in the officers of the militia regiment stationed near their residence. The minds of these two girls, we are told, were "more vacant than their sisters' ". The two girls pay frequent visits to their aunt Mrs. Philips who is as silly and vulgar as Mrs. Bennet and who encourages their passion for the uniforms of the officers and for the officers themselves. After listening to the chatter of these two girls one morning, Mr. Bennet coolly tells them that, judging by their manner of talk, they must be two of the silliest girls in the country. There is no doubt at all that the girls are really very silly, but who is responsible for their silliness? Largely their father, of course. What is noteworthy here is that he makes his depreciatory remark "coolly". In other words, he observes the girls' silliness but does not feel perturbed or upset by it and he does not realize at all that something may have been wanting in the manner in which he has brought them up. If these two daughters of his are behaving in an indecorous and foolish way, the fault is partly his own and his wife's. He has done nothing to check them in the beginning, and he does nothing now. Mrs. Bennet is even more at fault here. Instead of joining her husband in scolding the girls, she defends them, and she defends them in a manner which shows that she is not only tolerant of their silliness but shares their silly tastes. First, she says that she would not wish to speak slightingly of her own children and then she goes on to say that she herself in her younger days liked an officer's uniform very much and that she likes it still.
Mr. Bennet's Indifference and Mrs. Bennet's Stupidity
During Elizabeth's stay at Hunsford, she is on one occasion interrogated by Lady Catherine de Bourgh and asked if, without a governess in the family, she and her sisters were not neglected so far as their education and upbringing were concerned. Elizabeth replies that she and her sisters had always been encouraged to read but that some of them still spent their time in idleness. Evidently the girls were encouraged to read by Mr. Bennet, and evidently Mr. Bennet's indifference and Mrs. Bennet's stupidity were responsible for the idleness of the two who wished to remain idle, namely, Kitty and Lydia. Character and intelligence are seen by Jane Austen as of enormous importance; but these qualities require to be supplemented by education and inculcation of sound principles. Elizabeth and Jane have become sensible, well-behaved, and wise by their own efforts and in spite of their parents' indifference. Mary has become studious to compensate herself for her lack of good looks, but her knowledge and "learning" are accompanied by an absolute want of common sense and sincerely held values. Lydia and Kitty, lacking in character and intelligence, have been encouraged in folly by the indifference of their father and the indulgence of their mother.
Mr. Bennet's Evasion of Responsibility
So the embarrassments suffered by Elizabeth and Jane are directly attributable to the inadequacy of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as parents. The ultimate effect of their inadequacy is seen in the behaviour of Lydia. Lydia and her mother feel delighted and thrilled by Mrs. Forster's invitation to Lydia to accompany her to Brighton, and Mr. Bennet remains indifferent. It is only Elizabeth who realizes the pitfalls and dangers to which Lydia would be exposed if she goes to Brighton, but Mr. Bennet pays no heed to Elizabeth's apprehensions in this respect. Elizabeth warns her father that Lydia would be totally spoilt if he does not check her exuberant spirits and if he does not teach her that her present pursuits should not be allowed to become the whole business of her life. Mr. Bennet simply replies that both Lydia and Kitty are silly girls but that neither Jane nor Elizabeth will lose anything by the silliness of those two girls, adding that there will be no peace in the house if he stops Lydia from going to Brighton. Thus Mr. Bennet wants peace in the house even if to secure peace he has to abdicate his authority as a father. He is too indolent to assert himself in the house, and he has to pay heavily afterwards for this indolence and this abdication of authority and evasion of responsibility.
The Failure of Mr. Darcy's Parents
This theme of the effect of upbringing is not confined to the Bennet family. It occurs also in Mr. Darcy's account of himself just after Elizabeth has accepted his proposal of marriage. Mr. Darcy complains that as a child he had been taught what was right but that he had not been taught to correct his temper. He says that he had been spoilt by his parents who had encouraged him to be selfish and overbearing, and to care only for his own family circle, disregarding everybody else in the world. In other words, Mr. Darcy attributes his pride and egoism to his parents' failure to understand the right values of life. Of that pride he is cured by Elizabeth. Here, then, is a case in which even aristocratic parents failed in their duty.
The Case of Mr. Collins
The theme of the effect of upbringing occurs also in the author's description of Mr. Collins. Here we are told that Mr. Collins was by nature deficient in intelligence and that this deficiency had not been assisted by education or society because the largest part of his life had been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father. Here Jane Austen tells us precisely what makes or mars a human being. Natural endowments (character and intelligence) are important, of course; indeed they are fundamental. Next to them is the way a human being is brought up by his parents. Nor can we ignore the company a man keeps, because the sort of company a man keeps also has its share in educating him and moulding his mind.
According to a critic, one of the important themes in Pride and Prejudice is parenthood. How is this theme dealt with in this novel?
The Need of Parental Supervision over Children
Parenthood is indeed an important theme in Pride and Prejudice. And it is not the excellences of parenthood which the novel highlights; it is the deficiencies in parental supervision over children that are brought into prominence by the author. The novel seeks to show that the upbringing of children is something to which many parents up not attach that importance which it deserves. In fact, the writer shows her concern for the need of proper upbringing of children by parents by exposing to our view what goes wrong when parents fail in this duty or take the matter lightly or are too lazy to pay any attention to it.
The Failure of Mr. Bennet to Put a Check upon Lydia and Kitty
Early in the novel we witness the sad consequences of parental neglect in bringing up and educating children properly or adequately. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are the parents concerned and in Chapter 7 we are told of the excessive interest which their two youngest daughters, Catherine (Kitty) and Lydia, take in the officers of the militia regiment stationed near their residence. The minds of these two girls, we are told, were "more vacant than their sisters' ". The two girls pay frequent visits to their aunt Mrs. Philips who is as silly and vulgar as Mrs. Bennet and who encourages their passion for the uniforms of the officers and for the officers themselves. After listening to the chatter of these two girls one morning, Mr. Bennet coolly tells them that, judging by their manner of talk, they must be two of the silliest girls in the country. There is no doubt at all that the girls are really very silly, but who is responsible for their silliness? Largely their father, of course. What is noteworthy here is that he makes his depreciatory remark "coolly". In other words, he observes the girls' silliness but does not feel perturbed or upset by it and he does not realize at all that something may have been wanting in the manner in which he has brought them up. If these two daughters of his are behaving in an indecorous and foolish way, the fault is partly his own and his wife's. He has done nothing to check them in the beginning, and he does nothing now. Mrs. Bennet is even more at fault here. Instead of joining her husband in scolding the girls, she defends them, and she defends them in a manner which shows that she is not only tolerant of their silliness but shares their silly tastes. First, she says that she would not wish to speak slightingly of her own children and then she goes on to say that she herself in her younger days liked an officer's uniform very much and that she likes it still.
Mr. Bennet's Indifference and Mrs. Bennet's Stupidity
During Elizabeth's stay at Hunsford, she is on one occasion interrogated by Lady Catherine de Bourgh and asked if, without a governess in the family, she and her sisters were not neglected so far as their education and upbringing were concerned. Elizabeth replies that she and her sisters had always been encouraged to read but that some of them still spent their time in idleness. Evidently the girls were encouraged to read by Mr. Bennet, and evidently Mr. Bennet's indifference and Mrs. Bennet's stupidity were responsible for the idleness of the two who wished to remain idle, namely, Kitty and Lydia. Character and intelligence are seen by Jane Austen as of enormous importance; but these qualities require to be supplemented by education and inculcation of sound principles. Elizabeth and Jane have become sensible, well-behaved, and wise by their own efforts and in spite of their parents' indifference. Mary has become studious to compensate herself for her lack of good looks, but her knowledge and "learning" are accompanied by an absolute want of common sense and sincerely held values. Lydia and Kitty, lacking in character and intelligence, have been encouraged in folly by the indifference of their father and the indulgence of their mother.
Mr. Bennet's Evasion of Responsibility
So the embarrassments suffered by Elizabeth and Jane are directly attributable to the inadequacy of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as parents. The ultimate effect of their inadequacy is seen in the behaviour of Lydia. Lydia and her mother feel delighted and thrilled by Mrs. Forster's invitation to Lydia to accompany her to Brighton, and Mr. Bennet remains indifferent. It is only Elizabeth who realizes the pitfalls and dangers to which Lydia would be exposed if she goes to Brighton, but Mr. Bennet pays no heed to Elizabeth's apprehensions in this respect. Elizabeth warns her father that Lydia would be totally spoilt if he does not check her exuberant spirits and if he does not teach her that her present pursuits should not be allowed to become the whole business of her life. Mr. Bennet simply replies that both Lydia and Kitty are silly girls but that neither Jane nor Elizabeth will lose anything by the silliness of those two girls, adding that there will be no peace in the house if he stops Lydia from going to Brighton. Thus Mr. Bennet wants peace in the house even if to secure peace he has to abdicate his authority as a father. He is too indolent to assert himself in the house, and he has to pay heavily afterwards for this indolence and this abdication of authority and evasion of responsibility.
The Failure of Mr. Darcy's Parents
This theme of the effect of upbringing is not confined to the Bennet family. It occurs also in Mr. Darcy's account of himself just after Elizabeth has accepted his proposal of marriage. Mr. Darcy complains that as a child he had been taught what was right but that he had not been taught to correct his temper. He says that he had been spoilt by his parents who had encouraged him to be selfish and overbearing, and to care only for his own family circle, disregarding everybody else in the world. In other words, Mr. Darcy attributes his pride and egoism to his parents' failure to understand the right values of life. Of that pride he is cured by Elizabeth. Here, then, is a case in which even aristocratic parents failed in their duty.
The Case of Mr. Collins
The theme of the effect of upbringing occurs also in the author's description of Mr. Collins. Here we are told that Mr. Collins was by nature deficient in intelligence and that this deficiency had not been assisted by education or society because the largest part of his life had been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father. Here Jane Austen tells us precisely what makes or mars a human being. Natural endowments (character and intelligence) are important, of course; indeed they are fundamental. Next to them is the way a human being is brought up by his parents. Nor can we ignore the company a man keeps, because the sort of company a man keeps also has its share in educating him and moulding his mind.
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“Sophocles shows his dramatic talent in presenting Oedipus in the act of learning about his guilt, rather than in the act of committing it. The tragedy lies in the hero’s knowledge of the guilt rather than the guilt itself.” Discuss.
The Plot-movement Towards the Discovery of the Guilt
The play Oedipus Rex opens many years after the committing by Oedipus of the two heinous crimes foretold by the Delphic oracle. The play opens when Oedipus, after having killed his father Laius, has lived as his mother’s husband for many years during which period he has begotten several children by his mother-wife.
The earlier events, namely, the prophecy of the Delphic oracle, the measures taken by King Laius to avert the disaster, the flight of Oedipus from Corinth in order to avoid the fulfilment of the oracle, the fight on the road-side and the murder of Laius, Oedipus’s conquering the Sphinx by solving her riddle and consequently becoming the King of Thebes and marrying the widowed Queen Jocasta who was no other than his own mother—all these events took place many years before, and these are communicated to us only through narrative accounts of them given by Oedipus and Jocasta. The play as such deals with the discovery by Oedipus and Jocasta of the sins they have unwittingly committed, the account of the sins being given to us incidentally because an occasion has arisen on which Oedipus finds it necessary to narrate the story of his life to Jocasta. Even during the narration of these events, Oedipus is completely ignorant, and so is Jocasta, of the sins that have been committed. The tragedy lies in the revelation or the disclosure of the guilt, and not in the guilt itself. It is the revelation of the guilt that is dramatic. It is towards the revelation of the guilt that the development of the plot in the play has been moving. If Oedipus and Jocasta had remained ignorant of the sins committed by them till the natural end of their lives, there would have been no tragedy. Sophocles shows his dramatic skill in choosing as the theme of his play the circumstances leading to the discovery, the sins themselves being shown as having occurred in the past.
The Theme of the Play Stated in the Prologue
The play opens with the Theban citizens, led by their Priest, describing their misfortunes to their King, Oedipus, who, however, is already aware of their sufferings and who has already sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the Delphic oracle to seek divine guidance. Almost immediately after Oedipus has informed the Priest of the steps which he has already taken, Creon arrives with a message from the oracle that the murderer of Laius must be found and banished from the city before the people can get any relief from their affliction. In this way the subject of the drama and the situation from which it starts are presented to us. The situation is the sufferings that have overtaken the city of Thebes, and the subject of the drama is the search for the criminal who murdered Laius. As a dutiful and conscientious King, Oedipus resolves to trace the murderer and to punish him with banishment, uttering at the same time a curse upon the criminal and those who may be providing shelter to him. In the announcement of the punishment for the murderer are the seeds of Oedipus’s insistence on his own banishment from Thebes at the end of the play, just as in the resolve to trace the murderer are the seeds of his discovery of himself as the murderer of his father. Whether we know the myth and the story in advance or not, a lot of suspense is created in the prologue or the opening scene. If we do not know the story in advance, the situation arouses a deep curiosity about who the murderer is and why his identity has remained unknown for so many years; if we know the myth in advance, the suspense is caused by our desire to find out how Sophocles handles the myth.
The Dramatic Clash Between the King and the Prophet
The clash between Oedipus and Teiresias is highly dramatic. It is natural for Oedipus to summon the prophet in order to get from him a clue to the identity of the murderer. Teiresias is reputed to possess powers of divination, and Creon has advised Oedipus to send for the prophet, the advice being presently reinforced by the Chorus. Teiresias, of course, knows who the murderer is, but he would not like to disclose the shocking fact to Oedipus. He therefore evades Oedipus’s question with the result that Oedipus misunderstands the whole situation, flies into a rage, and accuses Teiresias and Creon of having hatched a conspiracy against him. Teiresias loses his temper also, with the result that hot words ensue between the two men, and the prophet openly names Oedipus as the murderer, hurling certain other accusations at Oedipus, and foretelling in a veiled manner the tragic end that is in store for Oedipus. The verbal fight between Oedipus, the man with supreme secular authority, and Teiresias, the man with supreme spiritual powers, is very exciting from the point of view of the audience or the readers, arousing, as it does, several emotions. The scene throws much light on the characters of both the men and clearly brings out the defects in Oedipus’s character, defects which seem to justify, to some extent, the punishment that ultimately befalls him, though the punishment is not a direct result of these defects. We find Oedipus to be hot-tempered, rash, hasty in drawing inferences, suspicious, arbitrary, and moving towards tyranny. The prophecy by Teiresias arouses feelings of uncertainty and perplexity in the Chorus, and we fully share these feelings. The Chorus is utterly unaware of the true facts and is not prepared to accept the accusations of Teiresias on their face value. In any case the clash between the King and the prophet takes the story one step further towards the ultimate discovery.
The Contrast Between Oedipus and Creon
The scene with Creon is not so dramatic from the emotional point of view, but it serves an important dramatic purpose. This scene emphasizes the contrast between the mild and moderate Creon, and the rash and autocratic Oedipus. Oedipus pays no heed to Creon’s defence of himself and sentences Creon to death or at least to banishment. The hubris of which Oedipus is guilty is further emphasized in this scene, though we find also that Oedipus is not totally unresponsive to the advice given to him by the Chorus and by Jocasta in the matter of the alleged crime of Creon.
The Scene with Teiresias, another Step Forward in the Direction of the Discovery
The accusations of Teiresias have deeply disturbed the mind of Oedipus. Jocasta tries to soothe her husband’s feelings by saying that no man possesses the secret of divination and that the words of Teiresias should, therefore, not weigh upon his mind. As evidence of the falseness of oracles, Jocasta refers to the prophecy made by the oracle with regard to the manner of Laius’s death.
The tragic irony of Jocasta’s advice to Oedipus here is noteworthy; the evidence which she cites to support her view of the falseness of oracles is precisely the evidence which, without her knowing it, supports the truth of oracles. Jocasta’s account of the circumstances of the death of Laius serves only to strengthen the doubt that has arisen in Oedipus’s mind as a result of the accusation by Teiresias. Oedipus would now like to interrogate the sole surviving member of Laius’s party. At the same time he gives Jocasta an account of his own early life before his arrival in Thebes and his marriage with her. Jocasta, however, ridicules the prophecy which the oracle had communicated to Oedipus, namely, that he would kill his father and marry his mother. However, even Jocasta presently offers worship of Apollo because she is deeply troubled by Oedipus’s wretchedness at the doubts that are tormenting him. By now, our curiosity and suspense have further been increased. Oedipus is feeling more and more troubled by doubts, and his apprehensions have begun to trouble Jocasta’s mind also. The scene with Jocasta thus carries the story further towards the discovery.
The Stunning Disclosure
The next development in the plot is the arrival of the Corinthian messenger. On hearing the news this messenger has brought, Jocasta immediately reverts to her former, habitual scepticism, and she urges Oedipus to shed all fear of oracles and to live as best as he can. When the messenger learns the cause of Oedipus’s fears about the future, he tries to comfort Oedipus by informing him that he is not the son of Polybus and Merope, which he believes himself to be. When the messenger reveals the circumstances in which he himself had handed over Oedipus as an infant to Polybus, the real identity of Oedipus as her own son flashes upon the mind of Jocasta and she turns white with terror. Her only anxiety now is that Oedipus should be spared the knowledge of his own identity. But Oedipus is determined, now more than ever, to know his parentage. The arrival of the Theban shepherd leads to the final discovery in the play. This is the supreme moment of the tragedy in the play. The Theban shepherd tries his utmost to keep back the information which would have a stunning effect on Oedipus, but Oedipus forces the Theban shepherd to come out with the truth. When the truth does come out, it is the most agonizing moment of Oedipus’s life. The realisation, that the words of the oracle have proved true and that he had really killed his father and married his mother, comes to Oedipus as an unbearable shock. This moment marks the climax of the play. This is the most painful moment for the audience also. Oedipus had tried his utmost to prevent the fulfilment of the oracle’s prophecy, but he had failed. Circumstances and, to some extent, his own temperament had gone against him and he had committed the very sins which he had tried to avoid.
The Various Steps in the Process of Discovery
The tragedy lies in Oedipus’s discovery of his guilt, and this tragedy he has himself brought about. Teiresias had tried to keep Oedipus in the dark, but Teiresias’s attitude had only aroused Oedipus’s ire. He was determined to find out Laius’s murderer, mainly to bring relief to his suffering subjects. He could not shirk his duty as the King. The words of Teiresias had mentally disturbed him and, produced a doubt in his mind. The doubt was strengthened by Jocasta’s account of the manner in which Laius had met his death. The Corinthian messenger’s information marked the next step in the process of the discovery, and the process was completed by the information obtained from the Theban shepherd under the pressure exerted upon him. Thus it is as a result of Oedipus’s efforts to punish the murderer of Laius and to find out his own parentage that Oedipus learns the truth; and the truth is appalling for him and for us.
Emphasis on Human Greatness
An important ingredient in a tragedy is the emphasis on human greatness. Great as Oedipus has been portrayed so far, his real greatness has yet to be pointed out. After the disclosure, Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus blinds himself. The blinded Oedipus, though in a state of despair, and suffering agonies on account of his sense of guilt and shame, yet shows an indomitable spirit. Oedipus has been defeated by circumstances and by his own actions, but his spirit has not been crushed. He shows himself still capable of self-assertion. He still retains his authoritative manner, his imperiousness, and some of his pride, even though he has lost all hope. He matched his wits against the gods, and failed. But even in defeat and in failure he shows his essential nobility. “Sophocles’s tragedy presents us with a terrible affirmation of man’s subordinate position in the universe, and at the same time with a heroic vision of man’s victory in defeat.”
The Plot-movement Towards the Discovery of the Guilt
The play Oedipus Rex opens many years after the committing by Oedipus of the two heinous crimes foretold by the Delphic oracle. The play opens when Oedipus, after having killed his father Laius, has lived as his mother’s husband for many years during which period he has begotten several children by his mother-wife.
The earlier events, namely, the prophecy of the Delphic oracle, the measures taken by King Laius to avert the disaster, the flight of Oedipus from Corinth in order to avoid the fulfilment of the oracle, the fight on the road-side and the murder of Laius, Oedipus’s conquering the Sphinx by solving her riddle and consequently becoming the King of Thebes and marrying the widowed Queen Jocasta who was no other than his own mother—all these events took place many years before, and these are communicated to us only through narrative accounts of them given by Oedipus and Jocasta. The play as such deals with the discovery by Oedipus and Jocasta of the sins they have unwittingly committed, the account of the sins being given to us incidentally because an occasion has arisen on which Oedipus finds it necessary to narrate the story of his life to Jocasta. Even during the narration of these events, Oedipus is completely ignorant, and so is Jocasta, of the sins that have been committed. The tragedy lies in the revelation or the disclosure of the guilt, and not in the guilt itself. It is the revelation of the guilt that is dramatic. It is towards the revelation of the guilt that the development of the plot in the play has been moving. If Oedipus and Jocasta had remained ignorant of the sins committed by them till the natural end of their lives, there would have been no tragedy. Sophocles shows his dramatic skill in choosing as the theme of his play the circumstances leading to the discovery, the sins themselves being shown as having occurred in the past.
The Theme of the Play Stated in the Prologue
The play opens with the Theban citizens, led by their Priest, describing their misfortunes to their King, Oedipus, who, however, is already aware of their sufferings and who has already sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the Delphic oracle to seek divine guidance. Almost immediately after Oedipus has informed the Priest of the steps which he has already taken, Creon arrives with a message from the oracle that the murderer of Laius must be found and banished from the city before the people can get any relief from their affliction. In this way the subject of the drama and the situation from which it starts are presented to us. The situation is the sufferings that have overtaken the city of Thebes, and the subject of the drama is the search for the criminal who murdered Laius. As a dutiful and conscientious King, Oedipus resolves to trace the murderer and to punish him with banishment, uttering at the same time a curse upon the criminal and those who may be providing shelter to him. In the announcement of the punishment for the murderer are the seeds of Oedipus’s insistence on his own banishment from Thebes at the end of the play, just as in the resolve to trace the murderer are the seeds of his discovery of himself as the murderer of his father. Whether we know the myth and the story in advance or not, a lot of suspense is created in the prologue or the opening scene. If we do not know the story in advance, the situation arouses a deep curiosity about who the murderer is and why his identity has remained unknown for so many years; if we know the myth in advance, the suspense is caused by our desire to find out how Sophocles handles the myth.
The Dramatic Clash Between the King and the Prophet
The clash between Oedipus and Teiresias is highly dramatic. It is natural for Oedipus to summon the prophet in order to get from him a clue to the identity of the murderer. Teiresias is reputed to possess powers of divination, and Creon has advised Oedipus to send for the prophet, the advice being presently reinforced by the Chorus. Teiresias, of course, knows who the murderer is, but he would not like to disclose the shocking fact to Oedipus. He therefore evades Oedipus’s question with the result that Oedipus misunderstands the whole situation, flies into a rage, and accuses Teiresias and Creon of having hatched a conspiracy against him. Teiresias loses his temper also, with the result that hot words ensue between the two men, and the prophet openly names Oedipus as the murderer, hurling certain other accusations at Oedipus, and foretelling in a veiled manner the tragic end that is in store for Oedipus. The verbal fight between Oedipus, the man with supreme secular authority, and Teiresias, the man with supreme spiritual powers, is very exciting from the point of view of the audience or the readers, arousing, as it does, several emotions. The scene throws much light on the characters of both the men and clearly brings out the defects in Oedipus’s character, defects which seem to justify, to some extent, the punishment that ultimately befalls him, though the punishment is not a direct result of these defects. We find Oedipus to be hot-tempered, rash, hasty in drawing inferences, suspicious, arbitrary, and moving towards tyranny. The prophecy by Teiresias arouses feelings of uncertainty and perplexity in the Chorus, and we fully share these feelings. The Chorus is utterly unaware of the true facts and is not prepared to accept the accusations of Teiresias on their face value. In any case the clash between the King and the prophet takes the story one step further towards the ultimate discovery.
The Contrast Between Oedipus and Creon
The scene with Creon is not so dramatic from the emotional point of view, but it serves an important dramatic purpose. This scene emphasizes the contrast between the mild and moderate Creon, and the rash and autocratic Oedipus. Oedipus pays no heed to Creon’s defence of himself and sentences Creon to death or at least to banishment. The hubris of which Oedipus is guilty is further emphasized in this scene, though we find also that Oedipus is not totally unresponsive to the advice given to him by the Chorus and by Jocasta in the matter of the alleged crime of Creon.
The Scene with Teiresias, another Step Forward in the Direction of the Discovery
The accusations of Teiresias have deeply disturbed the mind of Oedipus. Jocasta tries to soothe her husband’s feelings by saying that no man possesses the secret of divination and that the words of Teiresias should, therefore, not weigh upon his mind. As evidence of the falseness of oracles, Jocasta refers to the prophecy made by the oracle with regard to the manner of Laius’s death.
The tragic irony of Jocasta’s advice to Oedipus here is noteworthy; the evidence which she cites to support her view of the falseness of oracles is precisely the evidence which, without her knowing it, supports the truth of oracles. Jocasta’s account of the circumstances of the death of Laius serves only to strengthen the doubt that has arisen in Oedipus’s mind as a result of the accusation by Teiresias. Oedipus would now like to interrogate the sole surviving member of Laius’s party. At the same time he gives Jocasta an account of his own early life before his arrival in Thebes and his marriage with her. Jocasta, however, ridicules the prophecy which the oracle had communicated to Oedipus, namely, that he would kill his father and marry his mother. However, even Jocasta presently offers worship of Apollo because she is deeply troubled by Oedipus’s wretchedness at the doubts that are tormenting him. By now, our curiosity and suspense have further been increased. Oedipus is feeling more and more troubled by doubts, and his apprehensions have begun to trouble Jocasta’s mind also. The scene with Jocasta thus carries the story further towards the discovery.
The Stunning Disclosure
The next development in the plot is the arrival of the Corinthian messenger. On hearing the news this messenger has brought, Jocasta immediately reverts to her former, habitual scepticism, and she urges Oedipus to shed all fear of oracles and to live as best as he can. When the messenger learns the cause of Oedipus’s fears about the future, he tries to comfort Oedipus by informing him that he is not the son of Polybus and Merope, which he believes himself to be. When the messenger reveals the circumstances in which he himself had handed over Oedipus as an infant to Polybus, the real identity of Oedipus as her own son flashes upon the mind of Jocasta and she turns white with terror. Her only anxiety now is that Oedipus should be spared the knowledge of his own identity. But Oedipus is determined, now more than ever, to know his parentage. The arrival of the Theban shepherd leads to the final discovery in the play. This is the supreme moment of the tragedy in the play. The Theban shepherd tries his utmost to keep back the information which would have a stunning effect on Oedipus, but Oedipus forces the Theban shepherd to come out with the truth. When the truth does come out, it is the most agonizing moment of Oedipus’s life. The realisation, that the words of the oracle have proved true and that he had really killed his father and married his mother, comes to Oedipus as an unbearable shock. This moment marks the climax of the play. This is the most painful moment for the audience also. Oedipus had tried his utmost to prevent the fulfilment of the oracle’s prophecy, but he had failed. Circumstances and, to some extent, his own temperament had gone against him and he had committed the very sins which he had tried to avoid.
The Various Steps in the Process of Discovery
The tragedy lies in Oedipus’s discovery of his guilt, and this tragedy he has himself brought about. Teiresias had tried to keep Oedipus in the dark, but Teiresias’s attitude had only aroused Oedipus’s ire. He was determined to find out Laius’s murderer, mainly to bring relief to his suffering subjects. He could not shirk his duty as the King. The words of Teiresias had mentally disturbed him and, produced a doubt in his mind. The doubt was strengthened by Jocasta’s account of the manner in which Laius had met his death. The Corinthian messenger’s information marked the next step in the process of the discovery, and the process was completed by the information obtained from the Theban shepherd under the pressure exerted upon him. Thus it is as a result of Oedipus’s efforts to punish the murderer of Laius and to find out his own parentage that Oedipus learns the truth; and the truth is appalling for him and for us.
Emphasis on Human Greatness
An important ingredient in a tragedy is the emphasis on human greatness. Great as Oedipus has been portrayed so far, his real greatness has yet to be pointed out. After the disclosure, Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus blinds himself. The blinded Oedipus, though in a state of despair, and suffering agonies on account of his sense of guilt and shame, yet shows an indomitable spirit. Oedipus has been defeated by circumstances and by his own actions, but his spirit has not been crushed. He shows himself still capable of self-assertion. He still retains his authoritative manner, his imperiousness, and some of his pride, even though he has lost all hope. He matched his wits against the gods, and failed. But even in defeat and in failure he shows his essential nobility. “Sophocles’s tragedy presents us with a terrible affirmation of man’s subordinate position in the universe, and at the same time with a heroic vision of man’s victory in defeat.”
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