1984 by George Orwell

Marxist Theory in Jane Austen.

 Marxist Theory in Jane Austen.

Marxist’s theory stated that people lives are the product of their financial 

conditions. Material conditions and historical circumstances actually shape the 

society. He can manipulate the major institutions like government art, education and 

politics who having the ownership of the means of production. According to Marx 

one worse effect of capitalism is the commodification which means placing the value 

of articles not on the basis of utility but on the power through which it impresses 

others.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen illustrates the idea that how society and 

even people’s attitude are shaped by wealth, class and marriage, the chief concerns 

of Marxism. Jane Austen continuously represented the discrimination and humiliated 

attitude of upper class towards lower class. She portrayed the class struggle by 

representation of middle class continuously struggling in order to deny the thinking 

that they are not inferior as upper class always thinks and treat them.

The beginning lines itself are the clear projection of the society in which the 

novel was being written. The readers took no time to think that society was material 

based with common materialistic social psyche and the social attitudes were driven 

by wealth. The highest element which represented the peak of Marxism is the 

marriage as a bargaining.

Austen portrayed Darcy and Elizabeth at an equal status at the end because she wanted 

to present the idea that it is not wealth but intellect which keeps one’s identity even 

in the material based world.

5.1 Is Jane a Marxist?

Jane Austen was the member of a society which had very strict rules about 

code of conduct and which held great emphasis on class and social status. The period 

of late 18th and early 19th century society of British history was strongly patriarchal. 

Women’s educational and professional life was not necessary. The only choice for 

them was marriage and marriage was the only source to secure their future. Marriage 

concerns not about love but it was just the way to secure social and financial survival.

Marriage is the one difficulty which Austen’s protagonist had to face. Her heroine’s 

main difficult situation was whom they would marry. Women had no rights to own 

property or wealth. They were entirely depended on the males either in the character 

of father, brother or husband. They were not free for their survival in the society. And to attain a secure social and financial career they marry to the persons belong to 

landed gentry. That’s why critics is of the opinion she reflects of her own ambition to 

have a lot of money through her protagonist.

 Austen’s did not represent working class in her novels. One can estimate from 

it the society of that time that’s how much importance was given to lower classes at 

that time. There were no dialogues related to servants. There was no difficulty for a 

Marxist critic in applying the Reflectionism here. According to Reflectionist theory 

the text reflects the society whose product it is. The application seen here is no 

speaking characters from lower classes. It seems that the socioeconomic conditions 

were guarded by upper classes. It was a strong fact that the upper class was not 

ignorant of the conditions of lower classes because they require a number of servants 

to run and maintain their houses. It means to say that they are associated with them 

all the time then how can the upper class be quite ignored of their social plight. It was 

quietly right to say that they ignore them intentionally. The holders of grand states 

like Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy certainly had a lot of servants who work day and 

night to maintain their glory and splendor.

Here the important question is that Austen intentionally ignore the working 

class. But through reliable knowledge came to know that Austen’s letter to her family 

showed that she was interested in issues related to her servant’s lives. She was in class 

companionship of Ann Sharpe. Actually Austen presented to her readers what they 

wanted. Almost they were from upper classes and already know the realities of the 

society. In actual life they had no interest in the circumstance of their servants. They 

seldom wanted to study about their servants. Jane Austen painted the realities of 

society that’s why she had given no importance to lower classes. Here one can see a strong application of Marxist theory where the upper class had the complete the 

dominance over literature.

According to Jane Austen the readers have keen interest in her writings and 

commonly they belonged to upper class and the one strong reason that the education 

was not accessible for people of working class. That’s why there is no depiction of 

matters related to this class.

 In short the focus of the novel is the class. Although the communist manifesto 

was published later in (1848) while pride and prejudice published earlier in (1813) 

but the novel had all the elements of capitalism which Marx and Engels formulated. 

It is not definite that Austen was Marxist but she wrote her novel projecting all the 

elements of Marxism prevailing in her society. In the opinion of some critics her 

novels are only the illustration of domestic issues. Other’s is of the view that she 

represented conflicts and people’s attitude towards money and materialistic manners. 

It is doubtful that either she is Marxist or not. It is a strong fact that Marxism was not 

present in its formulated form when she wrote but at the same time it is very important 

to understand that what Marxism is actually. It is not a set of written clauses. It is an 

attitude reflecting the class struggle and money based thinking in human psyche and 

human psyche is same as God has created all the men equal. So, it is upon reader to 

judge either, she is a Marxist or not.

Edward said PROSE STYLE

Edward Said's Prose Style
introduction
     Style is a fundamental aspect of prose. It is the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement which work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text. Style describes how the author describes events, objects, and ideas. An author's style is what sets his or her writing apart and makes it unique. Edward Said is a distinguished prose writer of 21st century. Most of his writings are about discourses of imperialism, Islam, Palestinian colonization by Israel and music. Said's style of writing can be studied in thematic analysis of his essays and books. Paradoxical nature of identity, celebration of of exile, repetition of ideas, writer as theorist, interrogative introduction, imperialistic allusions, musicality of text and coining new terms are the salient features of Said's prose style. 
1. The Paradoxical Position
     As critic, political commentator, literary and cultural theorist or New York citizen, Edward Said demonstrates the often paradoxical nature of identity in an increasingly migratory and globalized world. In him, we find a person located in a tangle of cultural and theoretical contradictions: contradictions between his political voice and professional position; contradictions between the different ways in which he has been read; contradictions in the way he is located in the academy. The intimate connection between Said's identity and his cultural theory, and the paradoxes these reveal, show us something about the constructedness and complexity of cultural identity itself.
2. Celebration of Exile
     Said deliberately celebrates exile in his prose. Whatever he writes, we see an intangible effect of nostalgia and thrust for rootlessness, because of all the trauma and pain of homelessness he has suffered. This places the exile in a singular position with regard to history and society, but also in a much more anxious and ambivalent position with regard to culture: "Exile ... is 'a mind of winter' in which the pathos of summer and autumn as much as the potential of spring are nearby but unobtainable. Perhaps this is another way of saying that a life of exile moves according to a different calendar, and is less seasonal and settled than life at home. Exile is life led outside habitual order. It is nomadic, decentered, contrapuntal; but no sooner does one get accustomed to it than its unsettling force erupts anew."
3. Repetition of Ideas
     Another important feature of Edward Said's writing is repetition of ideas. Repetition imposes certain constraints upon the interpretation of the text; it historicizes the text as something which originates in the world, which insists upon its own being. Said's work constantly rehearses the features of his own peculiar academic and cultural location, or the 'text' of his own life -- exile, politicization, the living of two lives, the insistent questions of identity, and the passionate defense of Palestine. All his essays in one or other way talk about same thing even he keeps stressing on one thing in one essay. For example his essays like "Islam as News" and "Orientalism" talk in a language of "binary opposition" to undermine the western culture and imperialism and its operation in the entire globe.
4. Writer As Theorist
     Out of the issue of Palestine grows one of the most important themes in Said's theory -- the role of the intellectual. From the position of a professional literary theorist established in the elite academic environment of Columbia University, Said has been required to adopt the role of a spokesperson, called out to talk about political issues for which he had no special qualification. This confirmed his belief in the value of amateurism, but much more than that it gave him a vision of the importance of exile in empowering the intellectual to be detached from partisan politics in order to 'speak truth to power'. The sense of 'non-belonging' has confirmed his own sense that the public intellectual needs to speak from the margin. It is his unique characteristic of being a prose writer whom invents new positions and roles for a writer than just being a critic.
5. Interrogative Introduction
     The style of Said seems to be discursive, conversational and even repetitive, but his writings are quite thought provoking. The most striking feature of his essays is that he begins his essay with a questions like statement to set a course of discussion in the mind of reader. In Representations of the Intellectual, while discussing the role of an intellectual, Said poses an important questioning the beginning: how far should an intellectual go in getting involved? Is is possible to join a party or faction and retain a semblance of independence? This question asking style has positioned Said's writings at a unique height of literary canon.
6. Imperialistic Allusions From Literature
     In Said's writing while talking about relation between imperialism, colonization and culture we come across references of different Victorian novels like Robinson Crusoe, Great Expectations, Heart of Darkness and Mansfield Park to understand the underlined imperialist ideologies. Said believes that novel has been important in formation of imperialistic attitudes, references, and experiences, In Said's writing, novels are not the ones which caused imperialism, but that the novel is the cultural artifact of bourgeois society. He argues that the narratives of emancipation and enlightenment mobilized the people to rise against the yoke of imperialism. In short, illusions of previous time's fiction is a very striking feature of Said's writing.
7. Musicality of Text
     Said was a music lover and a musician himself. Said was fascinated by the connection between memory and music, by how remembrances of things played, as he once put it, are enacted. Music for Said was inspiring. When he played Schubert's Fantasie in a film about him directed by Salem Brahimi, his face quivered with every note that his hands transported on the keyboard. Indeed, Said would always make connections and references to Palestine, even in his more esoteric essays about literature, theory, or music. Fantasie might also have served as a kind of premonition for Said that it would be his swansong, his passion for music always made him feel nostalgic about his past and homeland. Even in his text structure we see a very smooth pattern making his writing bit musical.
8. Coining New Terms
     Said coined some useful terms like Orientalism and contrapuntal. In his book "Orientalism", Said defines orientalism as the acceptance in the West of "the basic distinction between East and West as the starting point for elaborate theories, epics, novels, social descriptions, and political accounts concerning the Orient, its people, customs, mind,  destiny and so on". Borrowed from music, where it refers to the relationship between themes, the term "contrapuntal reading" is used by Edward Said in "Culture and Imperialism" to describe the relationship between narratives set in metropolitan centres, or at least in the countryside, of the dominant colonial nations such as England and France, and the colonies upon which the great powers depended for their wealth.
Conclusion
     Edward Said's prose style is inspiring, generative and eloquent. For writers striving to create structures of clarity and meaning, Said has few competitors. He is different from all other prose writers in sense of content and text. The concepts which he deals with are not discussed by any other prose writer. Underneath the self-posturing verbiage there is an acute analytic mind at work. Said is not only a critic but a socialist and a reformer as well. By dealing with sensitive issues like colonization, imperialism and trying to counter Islamophobia presented by the West, he mostly focuses on themes. In short, the most prominent features of Said's prose style are his use of imperialistic illusions and coining of new terms.

GULLIVERS TRAVELS PAST PAPERS

JOHNATHAN SWIFT GULLIVERS TRAVELS

Past papers

2019 SUPPLY

Q. Discuss the idea of History and Historiography in Swift's Gullivers Travels. 

2019 ANNUAL

SWIFT SATIRIZES HUMAN HISTORY BY DECLARING IT A PACK OF LIES DISCUSS

CRITICLLY EVALUATE LAST SECTION OF GULLIVER TRAVELS

discuss the theme of power dynamics  in Gulliver travels

discuss the meaninglessnes of human existence in gullivers travels

2018

in gulliver travel, language is also used to manupulate power and society. what is your point of view.

2017

academy in lagado in GULLIVERS TRAVEL , CRITIQUE OUR UNCRITICAL ACCEPTANCE OF MEDERNITY

DISCUSS THE THEME OF POWER POLITICS IN ANY PASRT OF GULLIVERS TRAVELS

2016 SUPPLY

SATIRE IN SWIFT IS CORROSIVE TO EXTENT that it seems that nothing has been left to cherish in our eistence as human belongs. what is your point of view.

swift prose style

2015annual

1; Swift has been charged with misanthropy. Uphold or refute the charge with concrete evidence from his works, especially, "Gulliver's Travels".

2; Political satire in the first two parts of Gulliver's Travels is interesting as well as instructive. Elaborate.

3;From your reading of Gulliver's Travels what impression have you formed of Swift's attitude towards mankind? Would you describe him as a misanthrope?

4;Swift was the greatest satirist in an age of satire". Elaborate with special reference to the first two voyages of "Gulliver's Travels".

5; His satire grows more and more bitter as Swift progresses from book to book of his 'Gulliver's Travels'. Discuss.

6; Swift devised a prose style that suited his purpose very well. Elaborate with special reference to his Gulliver's Travels.

7;Swift is not a reformer but a demolisher. Discuss with reference to his works, especially 'Gulliver's Travels'.

8;Swift's Travel to Laputa my or may not be stillbirth but it contains, the same flair and the same flame as the rest of 'Gulliver's Travels'. Elaborate.

9;What are the literary techniques Swift draws upon to downscale man and his achievements?

10;A satirist is a perfectionist. Discuss with reference to Swift

11;Which part of the voyage in "Gulliver's Travels" is interesting to you and why?

12;Write a comprehensive note on different satirical devices used by Swift in Gulliver's Travels.

13;Write a detailed appraisal of Swift's versatility as a satirist as revealed in Gulliver's Travels.

14;Would you agree with the opinion that the first three parts of Gulliver's Travels show Gulliver's degeneration while the fourth part shows his regeneration? Give evidence from the text to prove or disapprove.

15;Produce evidence from Gulliver's Travels, especially Book IV to prove of disprove that Swift was a misanthrope.

 16;Compare and contrast the prose style of Bacon and Swift.

17; How far would the lot of humanity have changed if men had adopted absolute rationality of Houyhnhnms? Discuss with reference to 'Gulliver's Travels'.

18; Arguing from your study of 'Gulliver's Travels', discuss Swift as a wounded moralist who never forgave the world.

19;Swift devised a prose style that suited his purpose very well. Elaborate with special reference to his Gulliver's Travels.

20; His satire grows more and more bitter as Swift progresses from book to book of his 'Gulliver's Travels'. Discuss.

   GOOD LUCK!

Bertrand Russell PU UOS 2003 to 2022A Past paper of Prose MA ENGLISH LITERATURE

Past paper of Prose Bertrand Russell PU UOS 2003 to 2022A

Explain Russell’s ideas in the superior virtue of the obsessed. (PU 2018)

What safeguards does Russell suggest against a teacher's becoming a tool in the hands of governments and how far are they adequate? 2003

Which of the prose writers included in your course is your favourite, and why? 2003

Do you think Bertrand Russell's proposal for the establishment of a world government is desirable, or even tenable? 2004

In how many ways have ideas concerned with moral and politics, according to Bertrand Russell, helped mankind? 2004

YEAR 2005
Affirm or refute Russell's bid to justify the winning of happiness in this raving, reeling age of ours.

YEAR 2006
Can ideas, good or bad, be so effective as Bertrand Russell has claimed? Make out a case for or against in the light of his 'Unpopular Essays'.

YEAR 2007
. Even when theoretic and imaginative, Russell never departs from practicality and empiricism. Elaborate with special reference to his Unpopular Essays.

Russell's views on teaching and education have been of immense use down the years. Elaborate with special reference to his Unpopular Essays.

YEAR 2008
What are the practical difficulties in employing ideal teachers and how can they be overcome? Discuss with reference to Russell's 'Unpopular Essays'.

Discuss Russell's Essays in terms of their relevance to the development of human beings in terms of becoming more practical and rational creatures.

YEAR 2009
What according to Bertrand Russel is the necessary connection between philosophy and politics?

YEAR 2010
Can we check the social, economic and political decline if we succeed in making our teachers impartial and neutral in the real sense of the word? Elaborate with reference to Russell's 'Unpopular Essays'.

YEAR 2011
3. Russell was apposed to all obscurantism, mysticism and dogmatism. How far has he incorporated this approach in his 'Unpopular Essays'?

YEAR 2012
3. Discuss the "The Ideas that have Helped Mankind" as discussed by Russell.

YEAR 2013
3. Russell says, "I have spoken of liberty as a good, but it is not absolute good". Tell why, keeping in mind The Future of Mankind.

YEAR 2014
What safeguards does Russell suggest against a teacher becoming a tool in the hands of government in "Functions of Teacher". (PU 2014)

Discuss the main argument in philosophy for laymen in Russell (PU 2016)

What does Russell argue in ‘on Being modern minded’? (PU 2016)

What Safegaurd does Russell suggest against a teacher becoming a tool in the hands of Government in ‘Function of a Teacher’? (PU 2014)

How does Russell deal with paradox of violence and peace in his essays that you have read? (PU 2017)

Drawing upon your reading of Russell, discuss how does he envisage the role of teacher in the modern world? (PU 2017)

Discuss Russell’s prose style. (PU 2017)

24. Explain Russell’s ideas in the superior virtue of the obsessed. (PU 2018)

21. How is philosophy relevant to a lay man in russel. 2019 supply

22. What ideas, according to Bertrand Russell, have harmed mankind? (2019)

23. Discuss the prose style of Bertrand Russell. (2019)

24.Why does Russel attach so much importance to the role of teacher in modern civilization? Give your argument. 2022 A/2021 A/2020s

25. Russel is a liberal humanist rationalist. Prove or refute. 2021s

Russel

Liberalism

Humanism

Rationalism

Write note on ideas harmful for mankind. 2021 s

 

UOS PAST PAPERS

The future of man kind 2022 A

  UOS PAST PAPERS

Critically evaluate Russell's style. (UOS 2014)

For Russell, Teacher is the guardian. Agree or disagree. (UOS 2008)

. What is the function of a teacher in a civilized society according to Russell? (UOS 2009)

. Russell's prose is characterized by clarity, catholic temper and subtle wit. Explain. (UOS 2010)

. Write a comprehensive note on Russell's prose style. (UOS 2011)

. Russell was against war and in favour of world government. Why? (UOS 2011)

Russell preaches rationalism and tolerance. How and why? (UOS 2011)

Write an essay on Russell's prose style illustrating your answer from the 'Unpopular Essays'. (UOS 2012)

7. What is the function of a teacher in present day society according to Russell? (UOS 2012)

6. 'As to happiness, I am not so sure' bring out the significance of this reservation of Russell about ideas that helped mankind. (UOS 2013)

5. What future does Russell visualize for mankind as expressed in his essay 'Future of Mankind'? (UOS 2014)

How will you account Russell’s appeal to modern man? (UOS 2017)

Can Ideas good or bad, so effective as Betrand Russell has claimed. Make out a case for or against in the light of his ‘Unpopular Essays.’ (2017)

To what extend does Unpopular Essays represent Russell as an adversary dogmatism and a champion of liberalism? (UOS 2017)

PREPARED BY ASMA SHEIKH TUTOR

#University_Of_Sargodha👇#Past_Papers#Prose👇

#University_Of_Sargodha

#Past_Papers
#Prose

#Bacon's_Essays

What evidence of astute expediency do you fined in Bacon's essays?? (2012)
With the help of Bacon's essays can you provemat truth of the statement that "no more keen observer of life and affairs than Bacon ever lived. (2013)
Bacon made remarkable contributions to the development of English Prose. Discuss some qualities of this style in this regard. (2014)
Comment on line " Brightest and meanest of mankind??? (2015)
Bacon's essays reflect his deep understanding of human nature and ripe experience of life. Discuss (2016)
#Gullivers_Travels

Trace the development of Gulliver's outlook amd mentality in the course if hus voyage.would you regard it and healthy and welcome development ??? (2012) 
I do not hate mankind but proncipally i hate and detest that animal called man" is it possible to reconcile these contradictory remarks og Swift with reference to Gulliver's travels? (2013)  
What were the causes of Swift misanthrope?? Was ge responsible for these causes?? (2014)
How swift satire is destructive in approach and constructive in nature? (2015)
Gulliver venerates the houyhnhnms and describes their culture in glowing terms. Why does he find it so appealing? Do you share Gulliver's admiration of the houyhnhnmns ? (2016)
Compare and contrast the prose style of Bacon & Swift? (2016)
#Unpopular_Essays

Russells prose style? (2012)
" As to happiness i am not so sure" bring out the significance of this reservation of Russel about ideas that helped mankind. (2013)
What future does Russell visualize for mankind as expressed in his essay " Future of mankind ? (2014)
Russells prose is characterized by clarity intellectual brilliance and catholocity of temper" (2015)
#An_Introduction_to_Culture_And_Imperialism

Discuss Edward said's Views on "" American imperator" (2012)
Evaluate Edwards said view a Cub are and imperialism and discuss their merits and demerits? (2013)
How can culture integrity maintained according to Edward said? (2014)
What is culture and what is imperialism and how does Edward said relate the two? (2015)
#Eminent_Victorian

Give a critical estimate if Florence Nightingale " by Lytton Strachy (2013)
End of General Gordon" is the history of nation weary of War.Explain in the light of End of general Gordon ?? (2014)

Gulliver’s Travels is primarily an adventure story and a fanciful account of strange and wonderful lands, and therein lies its real charm”. Elaborate and illustrate.

“Gulliver’s Travels is primarily an adventure story and a fanciful account of strange and wonderful lands, and therein lies its real charm”. Elaborate and illustrate.

A Classic for Young Readers as an Adventure Story

There is no doubt that Gulliver’s Travels is a story of adventure and that it has several elements in it of a fairy tale. Both adventure and fairy-elements in a story appeal greatly to the young mind.

They have some charm even for the adult mind. But it would be an incorrect view to regard Gulliver’s Travels as merely an adventure story or a fairy tale intended for the entertainment and diversion of young people. Gulliver’s tale is an allegorical satire. In other words, there lies below the surface a deeper meaning. Swift’s real purpose was to expose the follies, absurdities, and evils of mankind in general. However, this book has established itself not only as a satire on mankind but also as a classic for the young readers.

Some of the Difficulties Faced by Gulliver in the Course or His Voyages

Let us, then, take a look at Gulliver’s Travels as a tale of adventure which it doubtless is and as a fanciful account of strange and wonderful lands. The book tells us the story of the various voyages of a man called Lemuel Gulliver. Every voyage is an adventure in itself. There is, first of all, the voyage to a country called Lilliput. Gulliver, in the course of his first principal voyage, gets ship-wrecked, and has to swim to the shore to save his life. On the sea-shore he falls into a sound slumber and, when he wakes up, he finds himself a prisoner in chains. In the course of his second voyage, Gulliver’s ship is overtaken by a fierce storm which threatens to wreck the ship and engulf the sailors including Gulliver. However, when, after the storm, the ship casts anchor, and a few sailors including Gulliver himself, are sent to the shore, Gulliver finds himself a captive in the hands of a giant. In the course of his third voyage Gulliver’s ship is overtaken by pirates. The pirates treat Gulliver roughly and, after depriving him of all his belongings, put him on a small boat and set him adrift. Five days later, the boat touches a rocky island where Gulliver gets down, very low in spirits and feeling tired and desolate. In the course of his fourth voyage, Gulliver is attacked by the members of the crew of his own ship and is bound hand and foot. Most of the members of this crew had previously been pirates, and now they threaten to throw Gulliver into the sea if he puts up any resistance. After a few days, the ruffians put Gulliver down on the sea-coast and sail away, leaving him alone to fend for himself. Gulliver finds himself in a new country about which he knows nothing at all.

A Story of Risks and Dangers

The above brief account of the various voyages of Gulliver shows the difficulties and dangers that Gulliver faced in the course of his wanderings. Adventure always implies a risk of life or a danger to life. The man who has the spirit of adventure in him is always ready to face risks and dangers. Gulliver sets out nom a comfortable life at home in order to explore unknown countries, knowing full well that he will face many difficulties and hazards. But every time he goes on a fresh voyage willingly and experiences not only difficulties and hardships but also serious dangers to his life. It is a miracle that each time he returns home safely. Such a story is bound to fascinate the young mind because dangers and difficulties never fail to appeal to young people.

The Amusing Experiences of Gulliver in the Strange Country of Dwarfs

Then there are the strange experiences of Gulliver in various lands. Every land which Gulliver visits is a wonderful land, and Gulliver’s experiences in every land are strange or exciting, or amusing. In Lilliput the people are diminutives or dwarfs, hardly six inches in height. The very idea that there are human beings so small is funny. But more amusing than that is the manner in which Gulliver is fed. Several ladders are applied by the Lilliputians to his sides, and about a hundred of them climb up those ladders in order to carry baskets full of meat and drink and put them close to his mouth. Similarly, it has taken nine hundred Lilliputians three hours to raise Gulliver to the level of a huge carriage by which he is carried to the royal court. In the metropolis, Gulliver becomes an object of curiosity, and people come nom far and near to look at him. He is given the name “man-mountain”. Gulliver here lends his support to the King and the government of Lilliput against the island of Blefuscu which has been hostile to Lilliput, and he cripples the enemy fleet, thus winning the appreciation and admiration of the Lilliputian king. One of the most amusing incidents in this part of the book is Gulliver’s extinguishing a fire in the Empress’s apartment by urinating on it. The Empress feels greatly annoyed with this action of Gulliver and moves nom that apartment to a different location. Some of the customs of the Lilliputians are also a source of amusement. For instance, they bury their dead with the heads of the corpses directly downwards because they hold a belief that after eleven thousand moons the dead would rise from their graves and that during this period the earth would turn upside down so that the dead would, on coming back to life, find themselves standing on their feet. Another comic absurdity of the Lilliputians is their manner of writing which is very peculiar, being neither nom the left to the right, like that of the Europeans; nor from the right to the left like that of the Arabians; nor from up to down like that of the Chinese; nor from down to up like that of the Cascagians; but aslant from one comer of the paper to the other “like the ladies in England”. Gulliver has to go through an ordeal when, on being informed that he will be shortly impeached on several charges, he finds it necessary to make good his escape from this country.

Gulliver’s Exciting Experiences in the Country of Giants

In Part II of the book we find ourselves with Gulliver in another strange and wonderful land. This land is called Brobdingnag. This land is inhabited by monstrous-looking giants who are twelve times the height of Gulliver. By contrast with these huge-looking men, Gulliver thinks himself to be as small as the Lilliputians were by contrast with him. Here too Gulliver becomes an object of curiosity for the inhabitants, though for the opposite reason. When Gulliver is first shown by his captor to his wife (who is as huge in size and proportions as her husband), she screams and runs away as a woman in England might do at the sight of a toad or a spider. In other words, Gulliver looks like an insect to the people here. The youngest son in the family of Gulliver’s captor lifts Gulliver by the legs and holds him so high in the air that Gulliver begins to tremble with fear. Then Gulliver sees a cat which is three times larger than an ox in England, and he feels greatly alarmed by its fierceness. When the lady of the house begins to suckle her child, Gulliver feels thoroughly disgusted on seeing the huge, monstrous breasts of the woman, with their nipples about half of the bigness of Gulliver’s head. When Gulliver wakes up from his sleep, he is attacked by a couple of rats which are of the size of a big dog. When Gulliver is afterwards bought by the Queen, he becomes a favourite with her. As a consequence, the royal dwarf begins to feel jealous of Gulliver and plays much mischief with him. On one occasion, the dwarf makes Gulliver fall into a large bowl of cream. On another occasion, he thrusts Gulliver’s whole body into a bone from which the marrow has been taken out. Gulliver also feels uneasy for another reason. There are too many flies in Brobdingnag. The flies here are very large, like all other creatures, and Gulliver feels much troubled by them as they hum and buzz about his ears. He is also much tormented by the wasps, which are as large as the patridges in England. Referring to the royal kitchen Gulliver says that, if he were to describe the size of the kitchen-grate and the size of the pots and kettles, the reader would perhaps not believe him and think that Gulliver is guilty of exaggeration. There are several mishaps during Gulliver’s stay in Brobdingnag. Once an apple, falling from a tree, hits Gulliver on his back and knocks him down flat on his face, because the apples here are also very large. On another occasion, when Gulliver is standing on a grassy plot, there is a sudden shower of hailstones which are nearly eighteen hundred times as large as those in Europe. Gulliver is badly injured by these hailstones. The royal maids of honour often play with Gulliver as if Gulliver were a toy. On one occasion Gulliver is carried off by a monkey which is also very huge, and he is rescued with great difficulty. Eventually Gulliver is carried off by a huge eagle which drops him into the sea from where he is picked up by a passing ship. This is Gulliver’s last adventure on his second voyage.

Gulliver’s Account of the Life in Laputa, Lagado, Etc.

Laputa, the voyage to which is described in Part III of the book, is another wonderful land. Laputa is an island which keeps flying at a height of about two miles from the earth over the continent of Balnibarbi. This in itself is a miracle. The people of Laputa have strange shapes and faces. Their heads are all reclined either to the right or to the left, one of their eyes being turned inward and the other directly up to the zenith. Many of the Laputans are followed by flappers who carry in their hands blown bladders fastened to the ends of short sticks. The function of these flappers is to draw the attention of their masters to anything that might need their attention, because the minds of their masters are so occupied with intense speculations that they can neither speak nor listen to others without being roused by some external action. Another strange feature of life on Laputa is that mutton, beef, pudding, and other eatables are given geometrical shapes or the shapes of musical instruments. When these people want to praise the beauty of a woman or any other animal they do so in geometrical or musical terms. The men on this island are so busy in their cogitations that their wives feel compelled to make love to strangers instead of to their husbands. When Gulliver goes to Lagado, he witnesses the many experiments which are in progress at the Academy of Projectors. There is a project for extracting sunbeams from cucumbers, a project for restoring human excrement to its original food, a new method for building houses by beginning at the roof and working downwards to the foundation, and so on. There are several schemes being developed at the school of political projects also. These are all very amusing and impractical schemes. Gulliver’s visit to the island of Glubbdubdrib is also very interesting because Gulliver here finds himself in a place where ghosts and spirits are in attendance upon the governor and where Gulliver is enabled to hold conversations with the spirits of such great men of the past as Alexander, Hannibal, Aristotle, Homer, and Brutus. Gulliver also sees a group of immortal people in this place. These immortals are feeling wretched and miserable because they long for death which does not come to them.

The Charm of These Accounts

The appeal of all the first three voyages for the young reader is manifest from the above summary. There is plenty of fun and mirth in the accounts of these three voyages. Indeed, some of the episodes are bound to give rise to boisterous laughter among the readers. In other words, the description of some of the incidents is really hilarious. No wonder that one of the early commentators called Gulliver’s Travels a merry work. It is evident, too, that improbability is the keynote of most of the incidents. The grown-up readers, for instance, will not even believe in the existence of Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians. But the young readers are bound to feel excited by descriptions of these strange people and their doings, and will not doubt the existence of pigmies and giants. For them the accounts of these people’s life will have a charm of their own.

Yet Another Wonderland in Part IV of the Book

The country of the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms, described in Part IV, is also a wonderland. This is a country in which human beings are no better than beasts, while the horses show themselves to be superior to human beings. The horses or the Houyhnhnms are the noblest conceivable animals. They are wholly governed by reason; they have a language of their own which they are able even to teach to a human being like Gulliver; they have their own excellent customs and methods of government; they are guided mainly by the principles of benevolence and kindness. These strange or marvellous beings are free from all kinds of evil, so much so that there is no word in their language for lying or falsehood. They hold a periodical assembly to discuss their affairs and to take necessary action to rectify things which have gone wrong; they have their methods to control their population; and they do not marry for love or for the pleasures of sex but only to reproduce and yet to keep their members under check. The Yahoos, who symbolize human beings, are on the contrary despicable creatures who arouse our disgust and abhorrence. This part of the story is not likely to appeal to the young mind very much because it is replete with symbolism, the understanding of which is essential for the appreciation of the entire part. In this part, Swift’s message is more important than the adventurous elements or the element of wonder and enchantment.

Not Enough to Describe the Book as an Adventure Story

Finally, it must be pointed out that it is not enough to describe Gulliver’s Travels merely as an adventure story or a tale of wonder. We must recognize that in it Swift has lashed human institutions and human passions. It is a satiric masterpiece in which Swift exposes human follies and absurdities, and the consequences of human irrationality.

“The Redress of Poetry” BY SEAMUS HENEY PAST PAPERS

“The Redress of Poetry” BY SEAMUS HENEY PAST PAPERS 

Redress of poetry

2019

Q. Why have the theorists over centuries been defensive against Plato on the subject of poetry. What redressal power does Heaney find in poetry?

 

2019supply

Q. In the present day world where the digital reality shapes our sense of being, How could poetry redress? Drawing on Heaney, make a case for or against the statement.

Q. Discuss Heaney's prose style.

2017

Q. What is a hackler and how does Heaney respond to him in “The Redress of Poetry”.

 

2017supply

Q. Poetry will never become irrelevant. Discuss with reference to Heaney.

 

2018

Q. What is the nature of redressal power of poetry in Heaney?

 

2018supply

Q. How does Heaney deal with the hackler in his essays to establish the redressal power of poetry.

 

YEAR 2016/S

 In “The Redress of Poetry”, Heaney is confronted with the dilemma of defining 

 Poetry is modern times. Build a case for a against the statement.

YEAR 2015

 Is it the function of the poet to redress through poetry? What are your views?

 YEAR 2014

How does Seamus Heaney prove in the essay "The Redress of Poetry" that poetry brings human existence into a fuller life?

YEAR 2013

 How does Seamus Heaney prove in The Redress of Poetry that the co-ordinates of the imagined thing correspond to and allow us to contemplate the complex burden of our own experience?

YEAR 2012

 According to Heaney, poetry should aim at an "inclusive consciousness". What examples of such poetry does he include in "The Redress of Poetry"?

YEAR 2011

 Can we take 'Redress of Poetry' by Heaney as yet another defense of poetry in the long row of such books, or is it something different, something more elaborate, something more eloquent?

YEAR 2010

 Does poetry really balance and counterweight even in the present day world as claimed by Seamus Heaney in his 'Redress of Poetry'?

 YEAR 2009

 Poetry will never become irrelevant. What case does Seamus Heaney make out in this regard in his 'Redress of Poetry'?

 YEAR 2008

How does poetry, according to Seamus Heaney, redress social, economic and cultural ills?

 YEAR 2007

Seamus Heaney not only theorizes but also illustrates and substantiates his contention. Elaborate.

 YEAR 2006

Poetry is as much relevant as ever even in this highly industrialized age of ours. Discuss with reference to Seamus Heaney.

 YEAR 2005

 Do you think Seamus Heaney has succeeded in making out a good cause in favour of poetry in this post modern age of ours?

 YEAR 2004

Write your own view of poetry in the light of Seamus Heaney's views.