'Fear No More' - from 'Cymbeline' by Shakespeare

‘Fear No More’

Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan;
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.

The poem ‘Fear No More’ appears as a song in Shakespeare’s play ‘Cymbeline’. It is a song sung over the supposed death of Imogen, the central female character of the play. The central theme of the poem is that death overpowers all and that all men are mortal.
The speaker in the poem says that the dead must not have any fear about the heat of the Sun and the chilling and strong winter winds. The persons who have died after finishing their earthly tasks have received their wages, that is, what they deserved in return of their deeds. They have gone to their heavenly home. The poet next suggests that man is mortal and all men must die whether they are charming boys or beautiful girls and even the poor chimney sweepers. Death has been called the greatest leveler since times immemorial. One day everything will pass into nothingness.
“Dust thou art,
To dust returneth” (Bible)

In the next stanza the poet says that we should not be afraid of the tyrant as they can do nothing when we are dead. The poet asks not to take care of clothes and food because nothing is superior or inferior for the dead man. For him reed and oak are both alike. All the kings, scholars and doctors too will have to follow the law of nature and will die one day to return to dust.
In the last stanza the poet asks us not to be afraid of lightening or a cloud burst. Nor should we be afraid of adverse opinions or insult, because for a dead man both happiness and sadness are not a matter of concern. Even the young lovers will go through the same road as our elders.
In this song the poet presents before us the universal truth that man is mortal. The poet also expresses the view that after a person dies he need not fear the troubles and sorrows of the world because they don’t bother him anymore. Death is a freedom – freedom from the chains of earthly life. Rousseau had rightly said, “Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.”

New Year Resolutions

The dawn of a new year is a time when we make new resolutions and have new dreams for the coming year. Often the resolutions are as easily broken as they were made.
My resolutions for the year that is going to ring in:
· Working hard towards making my blog a success
· Earning signed cheques from my blog
· Reading more and more about English literature to enrich my blog
Apart from the above mentioned blogging goals, I will strive to
· Acquire more knowledge
· Write more articles
· Get a good score in my exams
Have I not been too selfish? That is what the problem is with us humans. We only think about ourselves. We are so engrossed with the material things of life that life passes by us and we never notice; as W. H. Davies had rightly remarked: “we have no time to stand and stare”. Wordsworth too lamented over this worldliness in his sonnet ‘The World is too much with us’:
“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:”

What is required is a balanced approach – money is not the be all and end all of everything, it should be treated only as a means. The blind chase of material goods and the currency notes has led us astray and we have forgotten our values and the qualities for which a man is considered superior to other animals. Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘If’ has mentioned all those things which we need to follow. The last line says it all: “you'll be a Man”.
So my resolution for this year is to be a human – by fulfilling all the ifs mentioned by Kipling in his brilliant poem ‘IF’.
I would also like to express my views about the resolutions and wishes through a self-composed poem:

I’ll be a king,
A king I’ll be –
of my dream
my hopes and wishes
to control time’s stream.

I’ll be a flower, ever blossoming,
giving frangrance
to one and all;
with happiness
always be brimming.

I’ll be an aeroplane drive away from life
dark and gloomy clouds
of sorrow and strife.

I’ll be a lighthouse
having stately structure,
will guide the people
their hopes I’ll nurture.

Long list of my wishes
endless it seems – endless!
But oh! I forgot:
I forgot to be a man,
I was only being for now
I missed that ‘human’ part.
Now my aim I know – I’ll be a man,
a man I’ll be.

This post is an entry for theGTD Contest that is being hosted by Pimp Your Work

Wordsworth's ‘Lines written in Early Spring’

‘Lines written in Early Spring’ - the poem

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,

The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;

And 'tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,

Their thoughts I cannot measure:--

But the least motion which they made

It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature's holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man?

All the poems of Wordsworth revolve around Nature. After he met Coleridge they jointly published a collection of poems entitled ‘Lyrical Ballads’, which marked the beginning of a new kind of poetry. The present poem ‘Lines written in Early Spring’ appeared for the first time in ‘Lyrical Ballads’.
The poem has been written by the poet in a thoughtful mood. The poet William Wordsworth has himself expressed the view that he was sitting by the side of a stream when he composed this poem. The poet in this poem contrasts the happiness of the objects of Nature with the unhappiness experienced by man. He expressed sorrow that man has finished the scope of his own happiness by ignoring Nature.
In the first stanza, the poet describes the experience of being in the company of Nature. He says that while he was sitting under the shade of a group of trees in a relaxing mood, he heard a medley of music. At that time he was in a very cheerful mood, a time when happy thoughts came to his mind. But soon some sad thoughts followed.
The poet says that the beautiful sights of nature served as a bridge between the inner conscience/soul of man and God. But the poet’s heart is pained to think of the treatment given to man by his fellow human beings. Thus, the poet wants to convey the idea that man suffers because of his drifting away from Nature.
In the next stanza, the poet elaborates the types of flowers growing at that place. He says that there were bunches of primrose (rose growing in that shady haunt). A blue creeper flower, periwinkle was curled around the primrose. The poet believed that in such a pleasant atmosphere every flower enjoyed the fragrant air there.
The poet then, talking about the birds there, says that they were playing and moving here and there. The poet could not judge their thoughts but felt that even their smallest movement portrayed/displayed the blissful mood they were in.
There were growing branches of trees which seemed to be spreading themselves out to enjoy the pleasant breeze. The poet says that, however, hard he may try he can only think that there was only joy and happiness there.
In the last two stanzas, the poet in conclusion gives two suppositions: that his belief of joy being present there (the shady haunt) is divine; and that the communion of man with nature is the plan of God (Nature). If these two are true then he definitely has a reason to mourn over the man’s fate brought on him as a result of living with his fellow human beings away from nature.

“Have I not reason to lament
What Man has made of Man?”

Hence, in this poem the poet wants that there should be a perfect harmony between man and nature. But then the poet expresses sadness over the fact man has thoughtlessly destroyed his own peace of mind and joy of life.

'Human Folly' an extract from 'Essay on Man' by Alexander Pope

'Human Folly' - the poem

Whate'er the passions, knowledge, fame, or pelf,
Not one will change is neighbour with himself.
The learn'd is happy nature to explore,
The fool is happy that he knows no more;
The rich is happy in the plenty given,
The poor contents him with the care of Heaven,
See the blind beggar dance, the cripple sing
The sot a hero, lunatic a king;
The starving chemist in his golden views
Supremely bless'd, the poet in his Muse.
See some strange comfort ev'ry state attend,
And Pride bestow'd on all, a common friend:
See some fit passion every age supply;
Hope travels thro', nor quits us when we die.

Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law,
Pleas'd with a rattle, tickled with a straw:
Some livelier plaything gives his youth delight,
A little louder, but as empty quite:
Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse his riper state,
And beads and prayer-books are the toys of age:
Pleas'd with this bauble still, as that before,
Till tired he sleeps, and life's poor play is o'er.

(Extract from 'Essay on Man', Epistle II)

The poem ‘Human Folly’ is an extract taken from Pope’s famous classical poem ‘Essay on Man’. Alexander Pope is famous for his brilliance of wit and expression. In this extract ‘Human Folly’ Pope uses a very pithy, elegant and epigrammatic style; he sums up his thoughts on the human situation.
The poet begins by saying that whatever the enthusiasm, learning, popularity or wealth one’s neighbor has no one would like to change places with his neighbor. These lines suggest that every person is satisfied with his lot and takes pride in it. Illustrating this point of view the poet writes that the knowledgeable person is contented with his process of research and explorations of nature. The foolish person finds happiness in his ignorance that he possesses. The wealthy person is joyful with his ample wealth given to him by God. The poor man is satisfied and feels that inspite of his poverty God will take care of him or protect him.
The poet then talks of a blind beggar who was dancing and the handicapped who sang. Then there was the drunkard, who portrayed himself as the new and the man one as a king. The poet mentions the chemist (a scholar in Chemistry), who inspite of his starvation is thoughtful about his future; and the poet who feels blessed in his poetic imagination. People find one or the other thing to provide them some unique solace in every situation. Pride is a universal human trait. Every man has some enthusiasm in him according to his age. Hope always remains with us throughout our life and even after death. For example a child is easily amused by a little toy like a rattle and even by a straw. Interests change with age; some ‘livelier plaything’ gives happiness to a person in his youth. Honour, wealth and power give pleasure to a grown-up man while beads of rosary and prayer-books are his favourites in old age. In this way man is pleased with one or the other toy even till his old age. This cycle goes on till death overpowers a man and the game of life is over.
Hence, in this poet has aptly summed up the frivolous nature of human life. True wisdom lies in seeing the futility of the pursuits of man. The words in the last line “life's poor play is o'er” reminds of Shakespeare’s ‘All the World’s a stage’ speech.

Robert Herrick's 'To Daffodils'

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the evensong;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.

A constant theme of the songs written by Robert Herrick is the short-lived nature of life, the fleeting passage of time. We find a note of melancholy/sadness in his poem which arises out of the realization that beauty is not going to stay forever.
In his poem ‘To Daffodils’, the poet Robert Herrick begins by saying that we grieve to see the beautiful daffodils being wasted away very quickly. The duration of their gloom is so short that it seems even the rising sun still hasn’t reached the noon-time. Thus, in the very beginning the poet has struck a note of mourning at the fast dying of daffodils.
The poet then addresses the daffodils and asks them to stay until the clay ends with the evening prayer. After praying together he says that they will also accompany the daffodils. This is so because like flowers men too have a very transient life and even the youth is also very short-lived.

“We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring.”

The poet symbolically refers to the youth as spring in these lines. He equates/compares human life with the life of daffodils. Further he says that both of them grow very fast to be destroyed later. Just like the short duration of the flowers, men too die away soon. Their life is as short as the rain of the summer season, which comes for a very short time; and the dew-drops in the morning, which vanish away and never return again. Thus, the poet after comparing the flowers to humans, later turns to the objects of nature – he has compared the life of daffodils with summer rain, dew drops.
The central idea presented by the poet in this poem is that like the flowers we humans have a very short life in this world. The poet laments that we too life all other beautiful things soon slip into the shadow and silence of grave. A sad and thoughtful mood surrounds the poem.

The All-Revealing Speech

(WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SHAKESPEAREAN FOOL)

Next time someone calls you a fool, don’t take it as an insult. Just remember the Shakespearean fool. He was a master of words. Some of his sayings were worth in gold. Whether it was Feste from ‘Twelfth Night’ mouthing:

Those wits that think they have thee, do very oft prove fools
(meaning: those who take themselves to be quite intelligent are often proved to be fools)

or the Fool of ‘King Lear’ profoundly remarking:

Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest
Ride more than thou goest.
(‘owest’ means ‘own’)

they were all philosophical quite a few times. The Fools in Shakespearean plays are known to be the wisest of all characters. They have earned this place for themselves due to sheer jugglery of words.
The comment of a famous man: “Speak so that I can see you”, is simply priceless. Speech is an indispensable part of our life; so much so that we speak many times more than we write. Some languages of the world don’t even have a written form. The importance of speech is also illustrated by the fact that a child learns to speak first and writing later. Therefore, speech is primary and writing is secondary. Erudite speech can take a person places. The speech delivered by Winston Churchill to his army worked wonders for his country. The speech instilled confidence among the thin numbers of he army, to fight and later emerge as winner in the Second World War.
There are all types of persons we come across in our daily life. Some are the intelligentsia who don’t have the mastery over speech, hence do not come across as very knowledgeable. Then there are the not so intelligent but talented ones, who know the art of conversation. The result is that the latter substantiate themselves to be more well-informed. Sometimes even an utterly foolish person may show a streak of intelligence. That is to say, that many a times a weighty statement comes from the most unexpected quarters. I myself happen to be a witness to one such occurrence. This happened when I was standing at one of the busy intersections. A man in front of me was sitting in his posh luxury car. A crippled man begged for alms from that man, who after ignoring the beggar for a few moments simply gave vent to torrential downpour of bad names, asking him to leave. The beggar stepped back. When the car left, the beggar instead of cursing him, as anyone of his counterpart might do, prayed to God to give the man some patience and happy living sans his pride of wealth. He also thanked heavens that he was not in that man’s place. Now this is what is least expected from a beggar! It was nothing but his sophisticated and mature manner of talking that made him stand apart from the rest of the crowd.
The art of conversion includes not only using the appropriate word but also using them at the appropriate time and occasions. There is a disparity between the language we speak in front of our friends and family and the one we use for official purposes. Here is an anecdote to clarify the distinction between the usage of language:

Ø Albert says to his wife about Abraham: “Met that fool Abraham today. Wants his job back, can you imagine?”
Ø Then he talks to his colleague: “Do you remember Abraham Greene? I met him today. He said he’d like his job back. I think he is too optimistic, do you?”
Ø Finally he goes to his boss and says: “I met Mr. Abraham yesterday, Sir, who used to work in our stores. He asked me to find out if he could again join his post. I only said I’ll pass on your request and find out the position. Should he have any hopes sir?”

These three different statements especially the proper selection of words, throw an immense light on the character of man. They serve as the final stamp on his intellect. There is a dire need of good speakers in this modern world. Pen certainly is mightier than sword but speech too is equally, if not more, effective than the former. Speech may make or mar one’s personality. The next time you open your mouth be careful you might give yourself away. Remember, be the Shakespearean fool, not foolish but always witty.

'When I Consider Life' by John Dryden

When I consider Life, 'tis all a cheat;

Yet, fool'd with hope, men favour the deceit;

Trust on, and think tomorrow will repay:

Tomorrow's falser than the former day;

Lies worse; and while it says, We shall be blest

With some new joys, cuts off what we possest.

Strange couzenage! none would live past years again,

Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remain;

And, from the dregs of Life, think to receive

What the first sprightly running could not give.

I'm tir'd with waiting for this Chymic Gold,

Which fools us young, and beggars us when old.

The poem ‘When I Consider Life’ is an extract from John Dryden’s ‘Aureng-Zebe’ (Act IV, Scene i). The poet laments the folly of human beings who do not see through the illusion of hope and go on hoping that better things would come their way. Although there is no hope for the things becoming better yet the mankind believe that there will be happiness.
The poet writes that when he thinks about life he feels that human life is a deception. Even then men are fooled by hope. They think that things will turn better in future. What they don’t realize is that the future is even more false than the present. Men constantly hope that they will be rewarded some day and will get some happiness. But the rewards never come their way and they lose even what they had earlier.
The poet remarks that it is a strange cheating/deceit. He says that nobody can relive the time that is past. Even then men believe that things will be better. Human beings hope that from the unhappy and dirty things of life they’ll have some happiness which they never get.
The poet says that he is tired of the false and deceitful nature of life, which has fooled them since they were young and will leave them empty-handed in their old age.
The last line reminded me of Shakespeare’s lines about old age: “mere oblivion / Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” Infact old age is the golden age of a man’s life but it is a shameful sight when the old people are not taken care of. As Dryden writes “Trust on, and think tomorrow will repay”, the line can also be taken to mean that our actions and deeds are paid back tomorrow. We get back what we do.
Hope is a good thing but hope for good when we ourselves do good to others. And remember there is a limit to hoping. We cannot always say like Browning “God’s in his Heaven and all’s well with the world”. There is a saying by Francis Bacon (I think!): Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper.

Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening’

Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening’

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

This poem has been undoubtedly my most favourite poem ever since I read it in my school days. The beauty of this poem lies in its simplicity. Frost wrote this poem in June 1922. He was inspired by the sight of a sunrise to write this poem, after spending the whole night writing a long poem. This is also one of Frost’s favourite among his own poems. In a letter to Lord Louis Untermeyer he called it "my best bid for remembrance."
The situation of the poet is of a person caught between Nature and civilization. The speaker is fascinated by the woods but he cannot stop here for a long time he has some obligations; he cannot ignore the pull of the civilized world. He has two choices before him just like he had in ‘The Road not Taken’.
Critics have interpreted the poem from their own point of view. The debate still goes on. Some have given it negative shades by stating that it is a poem of death, with the woods symbolizing suicide and poet resisting it. Herbert R. Coursen, Jr., has interpreted the poet as Santa Claus, who has to fulfill the promise of delivering the gifts.
It has also been argued that the repetition of the last line is also significant. The first time the poet writes: “And miles to go before I sleep”, he wants to suggest that he has many duties to be fulfilled till he reaches his house and can rest. But when he repeats the line, it has been taken to mean that the poet symbolically refers to life and death – the poet suggests that he has a long time to live before he dies.

Rudyard Kipling's 'IF...'

I present here a poem by Rudyard Kipling. The poem 'IF...' is one of my all time favourites.

IF…

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!


It is an inspiring and motivating poem. It lays out before us a certain number of principles that we should follow to lead a meaningful life. The phrase in the last line of the poem: “…you'll be a Man, my son!”, sums the essence of human life. Man has made so much progress in the modern mechanical and materialistic world, science has helped to reinvent lives, man has reached the moon (to name only a few changes brought about by science) but the quality of life has gone down. All kinds of things have possible but the most shocking thing has been that man has not been a ‘man’ all the while. He has developed beastly qualities. Man is supposed to be highest of the category of animals. But he has stooped very low at times.
We have forgotten to trust ourselves. We are suppressed when others doubt us, we don’t have the courage to announce the truth to the world, rather we bury it deep under our uneasy silence at the slightest hint of protest by the outside world.
Tolerance is a concept of the bygone world. The word doesn’t exist in our dictionary anymore.
How brilliantly the poet has presented his thoughts. He sums the true meaning of being a human being in the following lines:

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!


Kipling wrote this poem with Dr Leander Starr Jameson at the back of his mind. Jameson carried out a raid against the Boers but the raid failed badly. The raid was an immature one. Jameson was captured very soon and he was imprisoned for fifteen months. But what happened when he returned to London was that he was considered as a hero in Britain. The defeat of the British was considered a victory.

Healthy Lifestyle and English Poetry

TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: PROVIDED BY ENGLISH POETRY

Wordsworth, considered to be a defining member of the English Romantic movement, displayed love for simplicity. We should aim to use the word ‘simplicity’ as the guide word for chalking out a lifestyle pattern for ourselves.
Lifestyle is not a narrow concept. Its scope is as wide as life itself. The term ‘lifestyle’ depicts one’s attitude towards life, the way we lead our life and the values that we not only believe in, but also practice. Being healthy does not mean having only a healthy body. It also entails possessing a healthy mind and a healthy heart too.
In the modern mechanical lifestyle, the biggest challenge for a human being is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our life is full of ups and downs but the health line should go up, up and up. We read many books on health and nutritious food. But merely possessing the knowledge does not make us healthy unless we practically follow it. We have a saying, “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may diet.”
Have you ever wondered, even English poetry can give us a few tips on healthy lifestyle – our outlook on life, how important the material goods are for us, how often we give ourselves a break from the back, neck or I don’t know what breaking business.
Literature reflects life, so in a way it should also provide guidelines for a healthy lifestyle and indeed it does. The need is to look for it between the lines. The call of the Romantics of being close to Nature implies that we should live in close harmony with Nature. This can safely be taken to mean that we follow the guidelines Nature provides us for a healthy life. It includes going to bed early and waking up on time, the ‘early to bed early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ principle. Remember in ‘Lines Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ Wordsworth found the city of London very beautiful in the morning light:
Never did the sun more beautifully steepIn his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Being too engrossed with the materialistic world is not a very good sign of a healthy lifestyle. A few years back I read in a magazine that no man ever lamented on his death bed he could have spent more time in his office. A very important indicator of a healthy lifestyle is the time one spends in family. Money is the be all and end all of everything. It should be treated only as a means and not an end in itself. Wordsworth in his famous sonnet ‘The World is too much with us’ writes:
The world is too much with us; late and soon
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;

Nature is the greatest stress buster. Just enjoy a morning walk and lend your ears to the silence around you and what you will have a concert. The humming birds, the twitter of sparrows, the rustling of leaves and many other sounds can only be enjoyed by a discerning ear. This really affects our nerves and at the same time, morning walk is a good physical exercise; so it helps us in maintaining both – a healthy body and a healthy mind.
What is most important is that we become good human beings. This will reflect the quality of our lifestyle. After all we become what we try to be at heart.
Living is not just inhaling and exhaling of breath but the meaningful life that we lead. Not all of us understand the depth of life until it is too late. Then we can echo Hamlet’s words:

Had I but time (as this fell Sergeant deathIs strick'd in his Arrest) oh I could tell you.But let it be…

Or like King Lear’s words “a dog is obeyed in office”, lament over the failure to achieve what we deserved:

Remember, time is a cruel teacher but at the same time experience is the best instructor.

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The French Revolution and Wordsworth's Poetry - Part II

(previous post continued)

(4) The influence of Beaupuis
According to Hudson, a “change of spirit occurred during his stay at Orleans and Blois, between which places he passed nearly a year”. He formed a close friendship whith a Republican General, Beaupuis, “an inspiring example of all in the Revoulution”. His tenderness, meekness, gallantry and utter devotion to the cause of the people are celebrated in glowing language in ‘The Prelude’. Talks with this noble friend exerted a profound influence on the poet’s mind. His hatred for all absolute rule, and his love of and pity for the “abject multitude” grew daily and he was ultimately fired with his friend’s humanitarianism and faith in the revolutionary cause and that “better days to all manking” were round the corner. His heart was now given to the people nad he felt that the revolution was the only way to right their wrongs. The September Massacres failed to disillusion him and when he returned to Paris a month later, he wanted to join the Girondists but was called back.

(5) Conflict of Loyalties
When Wordsworth returned to England towards the close of 1792, he found the conservative opinion in the country strongly against the Revolution. But he was still firm in his faith. Later he was torn by a conflict of loyalties. His moral nature received a terrible shock when England declared war upon France. He rejoiced when England’s armies met with disaster, although he loved his country. When the Republicans, still professing to act upon the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, entered into a policy of military aggression, his “genial feelings” were turned to bitterness.

(6) The Great Spiritual Crisis
Wordsworth now passed through a period of perplexity, disappointment and gloom, to a large extent, the result of his shattered hopes and shaken faith. But though France had failed him, he still clung to the abstract revolutionary theories and tried to seek relief in the abstract teachings of William Godwin. But the arid rationalism of Godwin gave him little relief.

(7) Dorothy and her influence
In this great spiritual crisis, both moral and intellectual, his salvation was brought about largely through the influence of his sister Dorothy. She brought back faith and peace to him. In particular, “she restored him to nature, whose beauty and benign power had been forgotten amid all the excitement and strain through which he had lately passed”. (Hudson)

(8) The Lost Leader
By 1802, his disillusionment with France was complete. He travelled farther and farther away from the political faith of his youth. Gradually he became a Tory. He was called the “Lost Leader” by Browning and a “moral eunuch” by Shelley. In this extreme reaction, he supported all existing institutions and even justified the abuses which presently inspired a fresh energy of reform. He opposed Catholic Emancipitation and the Reform Bill and wrote a sonnet attacking the people’s right to vote. In Napolean he saw and incarnation of materialism and he welcomed his downfall. He went to the extreme of saying that the cholera, which took a heavy toll of life, was God’s condemnation of the great reforms that he opposed.

(9) The Solid Gain
It should also be pointed out that not all the lessons of the Revolution were lost upon him. Though he rejected his early revolutionary creed, yet he firmly held to the essential ideals of democracy, which lay at its back. The Revolution brought him face to face with human sorrow and suffering. It humanized his soul and made him see nature in an entirely different light : he could now hear in nature “the still sad music of humanity.”

The French Revolution and Wordsworth's Poetry

1. WORDSWORTH: Democratic Background
An important event of the closing years of the eighteenth century, which stirred all Europe, and the English Romantics in particular, is the French Revolution. ‘The Prelude’ tells us much about Wordsworth’s reaction to the French Revolution. Wordsworth was the first of the great Romantics to be influenced profoundly by the Revolution, which had a far reaching impact on his life and poetry. But its ideals – Liberty, Equality and Fraternity – were not new to him. The societies, which he had been familiar with, in his youth were essentially democratic. Even at Cambridge he found a strong democratic spirit:
“All stood thus far/Upon equal ground..”

2. FIRST VISIT TO FRANCE
For these reasons, “The Revolution, in its earlier phases, involved no revolution in Wordsworth’s mental life”(Raleigh). During his third summer vacations, Wordsworth visited France with his friend, Robert Jones. They landed in Calais on July 13, 1790, the eve of first anniversary of the fall of the Bastille, and of, “that great federal day”, when the King was to swear allegiance to the new constitution; as he mentions in ‘The Prelude’ they met,
“The Brebant armies on the fret,
For battle in the cause of Liberty.”

They found evidence of the wonderful enthusiasm of the people on all sides. The nation was rejoicing and captured all his ardour for the cause and he felt:
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive
But to be young was very heaven.
(The French Revolution)

All this was, no doubt, very exhilarating. Yet Wordsworth was less affected by such experiences than might have been expected. He himself writes:

Heard, and saw, and felt,
Was touched, but with no intimate concern.

Nature and the wonders of the “ever-living universe”, interested him far more than political excitement and the awakened hopes of man.

3. HIS SECOND VISIT
Wordsworth visited France for a second time in November 1791. This time he stayed there for more than a year. Although he stayed there for learning French, yet the influence his growing interest in the French Revolution exerted on him cannot be ruled out. While going to Orleans he passed through Paris, where he stayed for a few days. He listened to the debates in the National Assembly. He also made a visit to the ruins of Bastille (the prison in which political prisoners were kept).

And from the rubbish gathered up a stone
And pocketed the relic , in the the guise
Of an enthusiast.

Yet as he himself confesses, there was something rather articficial and unreal about his emotion. He was not deeply and really stirred. The great principles of Fraternity, Equality and Liberty were in his very blood and what was happening seemed to him very much a matter of course.

P.S. This post is to be continued in the second part (Divided into two parts due to shortage of time now)

The Echo of Black Death in Chaucer's Age

W.H. Hudson has rightly said, “Every man belongs to his race and age; no matter how marked his personality, the spirit of his race and age finds expression through him.”

For a comprehensive study of an author’s literary works, what is also required (among other things) is the social background of that period – the kind of society the author was living in. Apart from many other changes in the English society in the age of Chaucer, the most dramatic change was a demographic one – the occurrence of the most devastating plague called Black Death. It erupted first of all in Dorset in 1348 and was at its peak in 1349. This epidemic wrought havoc and around one-third of the population of England perished in it. The true medical causes of this plague could not be established but the effects of this devastation were long-term as well as social, political and religious in nature.
The socio-economic system of England was paralyzed. The Black Death led to an acute shortage of labour. This aggravated the social tensions between the workers and landlords and other employers. This was also one of the causes of the traumatic Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, under the rule of Richard II. The Kentish priest, John Ball, who preached the dignity of labour, raised the question:

“When Adam delved and Eve span
Who was then a gentilman?”

There was a demand for higher wages by the workers, which according to Compton-Rickett was “a dim foreshadowing of those industrial troubles that lay in the distant future.”
The Church too was deeply affected by the unstable nature of the society and its medieval beliefs. The Parish clergy suffered a decline not only in numbers but also in quality, both morally and intellectually. This inadequacy of the parish clergy proved a recurrent theme in Langland’s poetry. In his ‘Prologue to Canterbury Tales’ Chaucer says:

That if gold ruste what shal iren doo?
(This means: If gold rusts what shall iron do?)

The theologian and reformer, John Wycliffe criticized the misuse of papal powers and revenues. Thus, we can see that the influence of Black Death was not limited to a single sphere of life, rather it was manifold and engulfed the whole society.

Children's Day in India

On the occasion of Children’s Day (celebrated in India on 14 November every year). Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was born on 14 November, 1889. Children’s Day is celebrated every year to mark his birth anniversary as he was very close to children.
Milton remarks in ‘Paradise Regained’:

The childhood shows the man,

As morning shows the day.
(Book IV, lines 220-21)

It is indeed in childhood that the qualities are manifested and are exhibited in the child personality. The characteristics of personality can noticed right from the early childhood. Rightly has Wordsworth has expressed the same views when he says, “Child is the father of man”. Childhood is the formative period of a person’s life. The habits developed at this time cast a shadow throughout the life. This makes it all the more important that the negative traits exhibited by a child should not at all be ignored, otherwise they may become a habit and incorrigible later on.

The period of childhood has been glorified in English poetry – this also hints at the important place occupied by this period in our life. Childhood is just like the base of a building; the stronger the base, the stronger the construction. A child has been said to be close to God as Wordsworth says in his Ode to ‘Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood’. He says:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Carl Sandburg has said, “A child is God’s opinion that world should go on”. Every child is special in his own way. So let’s pledge on this day that we would stop child abuse and all forms of exploitation.

Chaucer as a Poet

Chaucer has many great works to his credit, including the twin masterpieces – ‘Troilus and Criseyde’ and ‘The Canterbury Tales’. There is a sense of order in the poetry of Chaucer. This order is apparent not only in his reflections on nature and workings of cosmos but also in his belief of divine involvement in human affairs. For instance, the concluding address to the Holy Trinity, in ‘Troilus and Criseyde’ according to Sanders, has been turned into a divine comedy from being a tragedy with the alchemy of Chaucer’s poetic genius.Another great work of Chaucer ‘The Parlement of Foulys’ is said to have been written to compliment the marriage of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia in 1382. In it he has presented a vision of birds gathered to choose their proper mates. The nobler the bird the more formal are the rituals of courtship accorded to it.

Similarly, the social conditions of division of society according to ranks, is presented by Chaucer in his ‘The Canterbury Tales’. There are twenty-nine persons (and the narrator) who are on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. It is the Knight who is the first one to be described by Chaucer in ‘The Prologue’. Even in the complete work, in which all the pilgrims have to tell tales by turn – it is the Knight who is again the first one to start the process of tale-telling. Not only about the contemporary society but Chaucer’s works throw ample light on his own character too. Chaucer has portrayed himself as a modest person, by placing himself at the end of all the pilgrims in ‘The Canterbury Tales’. In it he has played the role of an incompetent story-teller, among such accomplished story tellers as his fellow pilgrims. Chaucer’s trait of diminishing himself is an effective device, which implies that he is posing as the servant to the servants of Christ.

Robert Frost’s ‘Acquainted With the Night’

Robert Frost’s ‘Acquainted With the Night’ is a poem that moves about in a twilight world as far as choices available in life are concerned or when it concerns taking a firm stand on an issue. It is a poem about the darker side of things and portrays the poet’s isolation.
The poet in this poem describes the comings and goings of a person walking about on the city roads. The poet has even braved the rain and wandered around on the city roads. He even walked upto the outskirts of the city. The poet even refers to the ‘saddest city lane’. He has seen the watchman while on his beat in these lanes. The poet saw some immoral activities being performed but he does not specifically mention them. Instead his eyes were dropped down with shame.
The poet then stands still and the sounds of a cry fall upon his ears. The cry comes from a distant place and is also not continuous. The interrupted nature of the cry symbolizes suppression. The cries were neither to welcome nor to bid farewell to the poet. And then talking about the ‘luminary clock’ of the sky, the moon, the poet doesn’t clearly pass a judgement whether the time was right or wrong. The poet was simply familiarized with the immoral nature of night in the city slum areas.

Hamlet's Madness

Hamlet’s madness has been one of the most discussed topics among critics. The groundlings of Elizabethan stage were demanding. They wanted to see something new being performed on the stage. During the Elizabethan age the society at such a stage that they were experiencing the after-effects of Renaissance. They were still in the process of realizing the immense potentialities of a human being. The abnormal conditions portrayed on stage were like the inner processes being unfolded in the front of their eyes. Another reason was the desire of the human beings to see something dramatic in front of them.
Hamlet’s feigned madness was like an outlet for his pent up emotions. I feel it is the crux of the play. He uses an abnormal condition to verify what a supernatural thing (ghost of his father) told him. He uses it as a tool and his aid. Hamlet’s ‘crafty madness’ provides him with a chance of observing other normal human beings.
Hamlet at one place comments:

“The time is out of joint . O cursed spite,
That I was ever born to set it right.”

This hints at the probability that Hamlet will be using his madness to set things right. But he doesn’t make an effort. According to Samuel Johnson, ‘Hamlet’ is, through the whole play, rather an instrument than an agent.” He doesn’t make an effort to kill his Uncle even after making sure of his guilt. Hamlet’s Uncle dies in circumstances which are not created by Hamlet himself.

Keats as a Poet

In Keats’ ‘Endymion’ the poet is still immature but shows great advancement. ‘Endymion’ is sensuous, imaginative and fanciful. The poet has attempted to unite the real and the ideal. To quote him from ‘Endymion’:
“A thing of beauty is joy forever.”
Keats’ third volume of poems included the famous ‘Isabella’, ‘Lamia’, ‘Hyperion’, ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, ‘The Eve of St. Agnes’ and among others were his odes and sonnets. His most famous odes are: ‘To Nightingale’, ‘To Autumn’, ‘On Indolence’, ‘On a Grecian Urn’, ‘To Psyche’ and ‘To Melancholy’. He has written 61 sonnets including ‘When I Have Fears that I may Cease to be’, ‘On Reading Chapman’s Homer’, ‘Bright Star’.
A marked characteristic of Keats is his appropriateness of wording. For illustrating the magical use of compound expressions one may cite “soft-conched”, “sapphire-regioned” and “high-sorrowful”; for beautiful single epithets, “wailful choir”, “vendurous grooms”, “sunburnt mirth”; for memorable phrases and immortal lines, “fast fading violets covered up in leaves” OR “Magic casements opening on the foam/Of perilious seas, in faery lands forlorn.”
Another quality of his works is that of sheer music. He was one of the most musical poets. When we come to the great odes like ‘To Nightingale’, ‘On a Grecian Urn’, ‘To Psyche’ and ‘To Autumn’, they have a musical effect which is unsurpassed in English lyric verse.
There was a Hellenic spirit in the works of Keats. In Shelley’s words, “Keats was a Greek.” The symmetry, simplicity, economy of ornament and subordination of parts to the whole of Greek art is most plain in the odes, ‘On Indolence’ and ‘On a Grecian Urn’.
Keats was also a nature poet. To Wordsworth Nature is a living being with the power to influence man for good or ill. Shelley, on the other hand, is not a moralist but an idealist. He portrays a beauty, which is not of the Earth. Keats neither gives a moral life to Nature, nor attempts to pass beyond her familiar manifestations. His aim, perhaps the highest of all, is to see and to render Nature as she is.
Known as a poet of love, sensuousness and beauty, Keats remains one of the immortals of literature.

Keats as an Inspiration

John Keats was the youngest of the romantic poets. He was born on 31st October, 1795, in London. His life was tragic in the sense that he suffered many calamities during his very short life. His brother Tom and his mother died of consumption. He also lost his father at a very early age. His disappointment in live with Fanny Brawne, whom he loved passionately aggravated the family disease to which he himself had fallen prey. There were financial difficulties too in his life. After his boyhood he never had a home of his own and had to move from one lodging to the other. Finally he went to Italy to regain his lost health where he died on 23rd February, 1821.
As Keats was afflicted by consumption, he was obsessed with the idea of death. Acutely aware of the pain and sufferings of poverty and illness, he wrote about these subjects with great poetic force. His poetry has the vividness of detail and intensity of emotion. His poems are just like a painting in which the object is depicted with the minutest detail.
Keats was a student of surgery. During the years 1810 to 1814, he was an apprentice to a surgeon Mr. Hammond. During this period he was very much influenced by Spenser. Keats’ first volume of poems appeared in 1817. It made a little impression but soon ceased to sell. There were two significant poems in this volume namely ‘Sleep and Poetry’ and ‘I Stood Tiptoe Upon a Hill’. It was followed by ‘Endymion’ in 1818 in his second volume. Soon after a couple of cruel reviews, in which criticism of real failings of Keats’ immature poetry, along with sneers at his birth and abuse of his poetry’s most beautiful passages, appeared first in Blackwood’s Magazine and then in the Quarterly.
It was believed that these reviews would kill Keats but it was a complete error. Keats was not the man to be discouraged. His own words show this:

“I begin to get a little acquainted with my own strength and weakness. Praise or blame has but a momentary effect on the man whose love of beauty in the abstract makes him a severe critic of his own works.”

So all amateur writers, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a good response from your writings in the beginning. Keats’ life sets a very good example for us – first, he did not get disheartened by the cruel response of the critics; secondly, we all remember him as one of the greatest poets in English literature and this is on the basis of his short literary career till the age of 23. So all you folks pick up your pens and get going.
We’ll talk about his poetry next time!

Imagery in 'Macbeth' - Part III

Today we'll talk about the imagery of light and darkness.

Light is the symbol of knowledge and goodness while darkness is the symbol of evil and theft. A deep pal of darkness surrounds the whole play from beginning to end. Most of the scenes that crowd to our mind are the scenes of darkness. For example, the King Duncan is murdered in his sleep at night when it is too dark for anyone to see. Banquo is also killed at night. The night is so dark that he asks his son Fleance to bring a torch. Even Lady Macbeth, before her death sees only darkness around her. Therefore, she has asked her chamber servants to keep a torch lighted all the time. Even when there is any light, it is earnestly desired that the light be turned into darkness when Macbeth hears that Malcolm will be the Prince of Scotland, he appeals to the stars “hide your fires” so that his darkness remains invisible to the human eye. After this he only thinks of darkness and “thick night” whenever he wants to act. For example when he has to murder Duncan he invokes”

…come thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.

OR

…come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day.

Banquo also refers to darkness when he says that Heaven’s “candles are all out”. Along with this image of darkness comes the image of sickness and death. For example Scotland, the dear country of Malcolm and Macduff is referred to as sick. Macbeth also finds his country sick which needs a purge. Malcolm tells Macduff that their country is suffering from the disease called the tyranny of Macbeth and they must:

…make us medicines of our great revenge
To cure this deadly grief.”

Imagery in Macbeth - Part II

The other image which recurs in the play is that of robes too big and unfit for Macbeth. Indeed, from the very beginning of the play, Macbeth is aware that the honours due to a King are too much for a person like him. When he learns from Rosse that he has been made the Thane of

Cawdor, he asks:
“…Why do you dress me
In borrow’d robes?”

Even Banquo uses this image of robes and says:

“New honours come upon him,
Like our strange garments.”

When Duncan has supped and is resting in Macbeth’s home, he (Macbeth) expresses his inability to his wife doing the dark deed. He says that he has earned a good reputation from all sorts of people, which is like robes I “their newest gloss”, which he cannot throw down so soon. At this, continuing this image of robes his wife asks him if he was drund when he hoped to wear those robes. After the murder of Duncan, when Rosse says that he is going to Macbeth’s coronation, Macduff uses the same image of robes and says:

“Lest our old robes sit easier than our new.”

Towards the end of the play people are aware of Macbeth’s villainy and Augus, using the same image of clothes remarks about Macbeth:

“…His title
Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe
Upon a dwarfish thief.”

It completes the imagery of robes of honour being worn by a most dishonoured person like Macbeth.

Next post will be about the imagery of light and darkness.

Imagery in 'Macbeth' - Part I

Commenting on the rich, vivid and varied imagery used by Shakespeare in ‘Macbeth’, A.C. Bradley says, “The vividness, magnitude and violence of the imagery…are characteristic of Macbeth almost throughout.” Indeed, from the very beginning till the end there are several symbols, similes and images invoked by the dramatist to lend to the play the characteristic horror, terror and darkness of human soul. Some of the recurring images in ‘Macbeth’ are those of clothes too big for Macbeth, creating the impression that he is a comic figure; the image of blood, bloody dagger and bloody hands; the image of sounds like thunder and its echo, the image of the speeding horses and images created with the help of animals, birds, reptiles; as well as the image of darkness and blackness all around.
The play opens with a sound of thunder in which the three witches appear, at a deserted place. The sound of thunder is heard several times throughout the play, for example, when the witches appear again there is the sound and echo of thunder, the apparations appear with thunder. There is the thunder and lightning even at night when the deed of murdering Duncan is done. Associated with the sound of the thunder there are the voices of wailing and crying people over the dark deeds of Macbeth. For example, Macduff reports:
… each new morn
New windows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows
Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds.

My next post will be about the imagery of clothes.

T.S. Eliot's 'Murder in the Cathedral'

Some selected quotations from T.S. Eliot’s play ‘Murder in the Cathedral’:

“For the good times past, that are come again
I am your man.” (First Tempter)

“To man of God what gladness?” (Becket)

“Shall I who ruled among the doves as an eagle
Now take the shape of wolf among wolves.” (Becket)

“King is forgotten when another shall come
Saints and Martyrs rule from the tomb.” (Fourth Tempter)

“Is there no enduring crown to be won
Is there no way in my soul’s sickness
That does not lead to damnation” (Becket)


Here’s what expert critics have to say about the play ‘Murder in the Cathedral’.

Nevill Coghill: “Murder in the Cathedral is about a situation and a quality of life; the situation is perpetual and the quality is rare.”

Helen Gardener: “The central theme of the play is martyrdom and martyrdom in its strict ancient sense.”

David and Jones: “The play is not just a dramatization of death but a deep searching study of the significance of martyrdom.”

Here are some opinions about the role of chorus in the play:
Eliot: “The chorus has always fundamentally the same uses. It mediates between the action and the audience. It intensifies the action, we as audience see it doubly by seeing its effect on other play.”

Helen Gardener: “The chorus is also instrumental in involving the audience in Becket’s martyrdom.”

Helen Gardener: “The real drama of the play is where the greatest poetry lies – in its choruses.”

Now to end with Eliot’s opinion about borrowing material:
T.S. Eliot: “A form which has been perfected by one age cannot be copied exactly by writers of another age. We have to make use of suggestions from any more remote drama, too remote for there to be any danger of imitation, such as Everyman, late medieval morality and miracle plays and great Greek drama.”

Nobel Prize for Literature 2007 - Lessing

The British novelist, Doris Lessing won the 2007 Nobel Prize for literature, announced yesterday. She is 87 years old at present, just weeks short of her 88th birthday. She is best known for her novel, ‘The Golden Notebook’, written in 1962. The academy that conferred most coveted prize on her called her an “epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny.” The announcement of the prize was made by Professor Horace Engdahl, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, on 11 October 2007.
She debuted as a novelist with ‘The Grass is Singing’ in 1950. Recently she produced novels like ‘The Good Terrorist’ (1985) that was a satire on romantic politics. In 1988, she wrote ‘The Fifth Child’ (1988) – it was about the tragedy of a family by an antisocial and violent child. Her latest ‘The Cleft’ is a science fiction.

Hardy's Pessimism

Hardy is known for his pessimism. Actually the factor that plays a very significant role in his novels is that of chance. The negative shades that are visible in his writings are an effect of what he had seen in his childhood. A sight of two hangings will definitely leave an imprint on the psyche of a child’s mind as it did on Hardy's mind.
The Victorian age was an age of doubt, of contradictions and conflicts. This fact too shows its impact on the writings of Hardy. People were to live by the Bible but many took it in the strict sense and followed the literal words strictly. We see in ‘Tess of the D’urbervilles’ how Tess is treated unjustly by the society, which followed the law in words and not in spirit.
In Hardy’s tragic drama of life a conflict between man and destiny is the centre of events. David Cecil remarks,”A struggle between man on one hand, and an omnipotent and indifferent fate, on the other hand goes on and that is Hardy’s interpretation of the human situation.”
Man is a mere puppet in the hands of an all powerful fate or destiny. Hardy’s novels remind us of Shakespeare’s lines from King Lear:

“As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods, —
They kill us for their sport.”

According to Hardy there is a mysterious force that is always hostile to human happiness and circumstances always conspire against him and lead him towards destruction.

“Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of life”.

Hardy gives different shapes to fate and destiny. A change in the weather changes the fate of Henchard, the protagonist of ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’. It could the death of a horse changing the life of Tess or a chance meeting with Alec, the villain turned into preacher in ‘Tess of D’urbervilles’.
Nature, in Hardy novels, too takes the form of cruel fate. Nature is not a source of joy or mysticism as in the poetry of Wordsworth. It is not at all benevolent.
And in the end as in ‘Tess of D’urbervilles’ Hardy is forced to comment:

“The President of Immortals, in Aeschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess.”

But inspite of all this Hardy’s novels are not totally dark. For instance, ‘Tess of D’urbervilles’ ends on a note of hope. There is a new beginning, something to look forward to.

Read further about Hardy: The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Hardy (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini, American novelist and physician, is the writer of the bestseller, his debut novel, ‘The Kite Runner’ (2003). ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ was released on May 22, 07. The author and his family migrated from Afghanistan after seeking political asylum. ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is about two women Miriam and Laila – how their lives are connected later on and they suffer together.
The author has portrayed the pitiable condition of women in the society of Afghanistan. Inhuman treatment is meted out to them especially to the characters of Laila and Miriam. Miriam’s mother, Nana too was on the receiving end. The discriminating practice against women – their wearing ‘burqa’ – has also been highlighted. The character that stands out from the rest is that of Miriam. She is an epitome of sacrifice. She proves to be equal to ‘a thousand splendid suns’. The author quotes two lines of poetry:

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

Although these lines have been said about their home country Afghanistan, yet they are completely suitable ccording to the character of Miriam. She brings hope and something to look forward to in the lives of Laila and her kids.
The novel reaches its climax when Miriam is hanged for murdering her husband. The author has aptly summed up Miriam’s last thoughts before her condemnation to the gallows:

“Miriam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing , a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Miriam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate belongings.”

These words, I feel, sum up the whole life of Miriam.

Wordsworth's 'The Tables Turned'

Wordsworth's following lines from the poem 'The Tables Turned' set me thinking.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Philosophers have since times immemorial loaded us with their meaningful lessons about leading life in a better way. But if we go by these words of Wordsworth, we should leave all the books and experience a first hand encounter. I would like to present a strong argument in his favour here. We all remember our childhood or have seen kids around us. How do they learn? Do they cram all things? How do they learn to sit or eat with a spoon? They learn by doing the thing. Even when are grown-up what we do practically ourselves, we comprehend and remember it easily. This is what the poet here is telling us to do.
He is of the view that the books of the 'sages' cannot give us so much wisdom as we can get from natural experiences after first hand encounters.

In this poem 'The Tables Turned' Wordsworth writes:

Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?

The sun, above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.


Note here that Wordsworth is asking the readers to make Nature their teacher. Being too much involved in books is a dull exercise. What is the ideal thing is that we must apply our knowledge to real life situations, then we convert our knowledge into education. And where can we find such a great and practical teacher as Nature? Actually the problem with our education system is that the stress is on theoretical knowledge and not the practical aspect. Our focus should be the pragmatic approach rather than the normative one.

Further in the poem he writes:

She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless--
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:--
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.


Actually what happens is that we are so much involved with the material aspects in our life that we often overlook the bounties of nature around us. We ignore the 'impulse from a vernal wood' and remain occupied with Science and Art.

John Grisham's 'Playing for Pizza'

John Grisham's next book 'Playing for Pizza' is being released on September 24,07. I myself am eagerly waiting for the release.

Here I am presenting some excerpts from the press release:

PLAYING FOR PIZZA is a short novel about a fallen American football star who can no longerget work in the National Football League and whose agent, as a last resort, signs a deal for him toplay for the Parma Panthers, in Parma, Italy. The quarterback’s move to a small city in a foreignland leads to a series of cultural misadventures. The idea for the novel grew out of time Grishamspent in Italy researching his last novel, The Broker, which was set in Bologna.


Here's what Grisham himself has to say:

“I was pleasantly surprised to find real American football in Italy,” says Grisham, “and as I dugdeeper a novel came together. The research was tough – food, wine, opera, football, Italian culture– but someone had to do it.”

P.S. To read an excerpt from novel click here

Playing For Pizza (Limited Edition): A Novel

Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities'

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,

we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

Charles Dickens’ famous novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ opens with these lines. These lines form the crux of the novel. The author paints a picture of life in England and France. Scholars have found this novel as the least Dickensian of all his novels. Ever since its publication the book has attracted mixed opinions. Nevertheless, the novel has been a widely read one.
An endeavour to locate the sources of this novel will end in two main sources: Thomas Carlyle’s history, ‘The French Revolution’ and Wilkie Collins’ play ‘The Frozen Deep’. Dickens had acted in this play. At the time Dickens decided to write this novel his relationship with his wife had been deteriorating and they had decided to separate.
In the novel Dickens has conveyed the significance of French Revolution and Resurrection. The novel was studied by the biographical critics from the point of the upheaval in the writer’s life. The Marxist viewed the historical angle, while the psychological critics examined the father-son relationship and the imagery of prison in the novel.

Here is a link of a quiz on this novel for those who have read the novel: Take the Quiz

'The Grapes of Wrath'

‘The Grapes of Wrath’, one of the landmarks in not only American fiction but also in world literature. It was written by John Steinbeck in 1939. It was one of the post-depression novels of Steinbeck. The economic depression of 1930, had taken heavy toll by the means of mass unemployment and migration, of people from eastern to south-western parts, in large numbers. The author has, in this novel, narrated the impact of that depression on socio-economic life of poor people. ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ is thus, chiefly a long panorama of suffering and misery of Joad family, who, like thousands of others, migrated to California in the south-west. Steinbeck has used a number of symbolic allusions including the title – ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.
The title has been borrowed from the song ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ written by Julia Ward Howe. The ‘grapes’ here are symbolic – they may be sour as well as sweet. While the sour grapes are unpalatable, the sweet ones are liked by all. In the novel there are both kinds of grapes – sweet and sour. Grampa is always dreaming of going to California and taste sweet grapes in order to regain his vitality. But the grapes remain sour for him as he dies on his way to those green pastures. Infact, the grapes remain sour for the entire Joad family and other migrants, because they didn’t get what they had hoped for.
Another symbolic aspect of the grapes is apparent from the significant comment made in the twenty-ninth chapter of the novel:

“The break would never come so long as fear could turn to wrath.”

This statement symbolically sums up the whole essence of the novel. It implies that until the people rise against their own fears, concerning their exploiters and other cruel forces, the ‘grapes’ will continue to remain sour for them. The only way is to unite against the exploiting forces and demand the rights of the workers.
Hence, in a way the grapes symbolize the fruits of labour. ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ will be sweet when wrath, that is, anger is shown against the exploiters. Thus, in this way the title is a very precise and apparent way is related to the very theme of the novel and is also the most suitable.

'Stream of Consciousness' and 'Mrs.Dalloway'

I have always been fascinated by the term ‘Stream of Consciousness’. It sounds so poetic, may be because it compares the thinking process or our consciousness to a stream. The psychologist and the writer of ‘Principles of Psychology’, James Joyce, coined the phrase ‘stream of consciousness’ in 1890, although the technique had already been used by Edouard Dujardin (French novelist) in a short novel. By this term James Joyce meant that human consciousness is something fluid. With this technique what we have before us is the outer observations as they
impinge on the flow of thoughts, memory and feelings.
A novel written in this technique, that stands out in my memory is Virginia Woolf’s ‘Mrs. Dalloway’, which has been called “the first wholly successful novel that Virginia Woolf produced” by. The action or description of events in the novel has not been narrated in the chronological order – a typical characteristic of stream of consciousness. All the characters have been portrayed by the ‘flow of the stream of consciousness’. The action is confined to just a single day. The novel begins with Clarissa going out of her house for buying flowers in the morning and ends with Clarissa’s party in the evening. But although the clock time is restricted, yet the psychological time is of much longer duration.Virgina Woolf herself says: "In a novel of subjectivity there is no plot, no character, no tragedy, no comedy and no love-interest as in
traditional novel."

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Role of Supernatural in Literature

Writers have from time to time experimented with different themes to weave an altogether new web in their literary works. The presence of a supernatural element has been one of the favourites with many authors.
When Shakespeare made the ghost of Hamlet’s father appear before him in his drama ‘Hamlet’, it was merely that he had used what the Elizabethans already believed. Some of them thought that the ghosts were hallucinations but there were others who believed that the spirit made its journey back to the Earth in order to accomplish some incomplete task. Then there were a section of people who believed that it was by the permission of God that the spirit came to Earth to give a message. But this was only one side – God’s divine spirit; it could be an evil spirit or an independent spirit with a motive to create chaos in society.
Hamlet too in the play doesn’t believe the ghost at first instance. He takes pains to prove what the ghost told him about his father’s murder. This illustrates the Elizabethan dilemma – whether a ghost is an agent of God or that of Lucifer.
Then there were the three witches of ‘Macbeth’. But in contrast to the supernatural in Hamlet (that wants to fulfill the incomplete task through his son), the witches in ‘Macbeth’ instigate Macbeth to commit the heinous crime of murdering King Duncan for becoming the King. Lady
Macbeth has been called the fourth witch because she too coaxes him for this.
When we talk of supernatural we should not forget to discuss the Romantic School of Poetry. While Wordsworth made the natural appear supernatural, Coleridge made the supernatural look natural. The use of ‘Albatross’ in his famous poem ‘The Rime of Ancient Mariner’ stands
witness to it.Literature is so vast that it cannot be summed up in one post, this was just a small part of it.

'The Diary of Anne Frank' - My point of view

The book is indeed a very poignant life story of a young girl named Anne Frank. The book is a detailed sketch, in Anne’s own words, of the toughest two years of her life spent in hiding at the time of World War II because she was a Jew. She bares, in her writing, her fight with her own self, her innermost feelings, her conflicts (both within and without).
Her account of war, where she questions the validity of war is heart-rending. The reader can sense the despair behind those words:

“ ‘…What’s the point of the war? Why, oh, why can’t people live together peacefully? Why all this destruction?’

The question is understandable, but so far no one has come up with a satisfactory answer. Why is England manufacturing bigger and better aeroplanes and bombs and at the same time churning out new homes for reconstruction? Why are millions spent on the war each day; while not a penny is available for medical science, artists or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?”

I was here reminded of the famous poem ‘The Man He Killed’ by Thomas hardy. I quote him:

Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You’d treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.

Another issue on which I fully agree with Anne is that the common man is also responsible. It is a general practice with us that we very nonchalantly blame the politicians for all the wrong that is being done. But we mustn’t forget that we, as people, have equal responsibility if not more. Anne is completely right when she writes that war happens because people have a destructive urge in them – an urge to murder and kill.
Anne Frank’s optimism towards the end of the book, that they’ll be freed, makes her death all the more tragic. They (Anne Frank with her family members and others (eight in total) were taken to different concentration c amps. Out of the eight only Anne’s father Otto Frank survived. They were arrested on August 4, 1944. Anne died in late February or early March 1945 and the camp where she was, was liberated by the British troops on April 12, 1945. This is the irony of life!

Character of Rosemary Fell in 'A Cup of Tea'

Rosemary Fell is the main character in the story ‘A Cup of Tea’, written by Katherine Mansfield. She explored the inner recesses of the human psyche. Her short stories dramatize human emotions creating situations, which are at once tender and brittle. ‘A Cup of Tea’ is one of her most popular short stories. In this story Mansfield focuses on the working of a woman’s mind when her romantic dreams come into conflict with reality. In this way she dramatizes small the effect that small human failings like jealousy can have.
Rosemary Fell, the main character, is an extremely rich lady and not just comfortably rich. The author brings out this point by writing that Rosemary went shopping to Paris from London. She bought loads of flowers from one of the most fashionable streets in London. At the shop too she would throw her weight around by telling them her likes and dislikes. She was a snobbish kind of a person. She had the antique shop, from which she shopped, to herself and thus always preferred to go there. And the shopkeeper too kept flattering her by which she was carried away.
‘Rosemary ‘, according to the author, ‘was not exactly beautiful’, but she could be called ‘pretty’ if one examined her closely. She was young, brilliant extremely modern and a well-dressed lady. In addition to these qualities, Rosemary was a vain person. She couldn’t help noticing the charm of her hands against the blue velvet, while she was shopping in the antique shop.
Rosemary loved reading books and novels. She would read all the latest books. But the negative aspect of this habit of hers is that she was always lost in the world of dreams, fantasy and romanticism. She did not know about the realities of the world. When a beggar girl came to Rosemary for alms for a cup of tea, she was surprised at the poverty of the girl that she couldn’t even afford a cup of tea. She felt as if this event was a part of some novel and lost in her romantic world, she took the girl that wonderful things do happen and fairy godmothers were real. Also that, rich people too have hearts and all women were sisters.
Rosemary was an impulsive woman. She didn’t think before she acted. She did prove this when she took the beggar-girl home without thinking of the reaction of her husband and other servants at her house. The author points out certain superficial attitudes and lack of serious-mindedness in Rosemary. She present the picture of an extrovert at peace with herself and the world.
In the last part of the story the romantic world in which Rosemary lived, came into conflict with the realistic world. A word of praise for the girl from Rosemary’s husband, Philip, makes Rosemary jealous. She felt insecure although her husband adored her. She became restless. She forgot all the dreams she had for that beggar-girl and sent her away with a present of money. Thus jealousy, the universal human failing, turns her into a hard realist. Infact it is here that she succeeds in giving a humanistic touch to her character.
To conclude one can say that the character of Rosemary is well portrayed. One can find traces of realism in Rosemary as we do find shallow women around us. Yet her transformation into humanism in the end makes one feel sorry for her, though we may not like her. The main themes of class consciousness and feminism have been developed through the character of Rosemary Fell.

My Favourite Shakespearean Character - King Lear

King Lear as presented to us by Shakespeare in the first scene of his drama ‘King Lear’ is very rash and impulsive by nature. And in the end he has to suffer on account of this rashness. He has to pay a very high price for a small mistake committed by him. King Lear was not right in dividing his kingdom because in those times the idea of dividing the kingdom was something very strange. The love-test put to his daughters in also not a very sensible idea, I suppose. The love-test was only to satisfy his hunger for assurances of devotion. Otherwise, he should have known the genuine feelings of his youngest daughter, Cordelia, when she says “Nothing”. Instead he replies, “Nothing will come out of nothing”, and finally banishes her from his estate. He couldn’t see through the high-stated words of his other two daughters, Regan and Goneril. When Kent tries to curb his impulsiveness and checks him from taking harsh action against Cordelia he too is sent away. It is Cordelia and Kent (both banished by Lear), who come to Lear’s rescue when all other worldly supports melt away. Thus, Lear is a poor judge of character. He sends away those two persons who loved him the most in the world.

But when taken the other way round such type of behavior may be attributed to his being eighty years old. He wanted some sort of consolation, some reassurances. Critics are of the opinion that he had earmarked a largest portion for his beloved Cordelia. But he was let down by his favourite youngest daughter. He felt humiliated by her words. And the wrath afterwards was that of a wounded father.
Of all the characters of Shakespeare I have always liked Lear the most. He is the one who grows from being a King to being a man. This transformation brings him to realize what life is. But the realization brings in its wake death – the ultimate truth of life. The persons who were responsible for this education of Lear were the Fool, Kent (disguised), Edgar as a beggar. The Fool at one place tries to make the King realize his mistake:

“Then they for sudden joy did weep,
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.”
(Act I, scene iv)

It is in the storm scene that Lear considers himself as a human being:

“…Here I stand your slave,
A poor infirm, weak and despised old man.”
(Act III, scene ii)

His knowledge grows further as we see in his authority speech where he has mouthed a great truth in the following words: “A dog’s obeyed in office!” (Act IV, scene vi)
His last words are simply marvelous. He is unable to cope up with the death of Cordelia after a brief reunion.

“Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no more,
Never, never, never, never, never!
(Act V, scene iii)

Archetypes and Milton's 'Lycidas'

The term 'archetype' has been frequently used in literary criticism. But it was especially used since the publication of Maud Bodkin's 'Archetypal Patterns in Poetry' (1934). The word 'archetype' has been derived from the Greek 'arche' meaning 'original' or 'primitive' and 'typos' meaning 'form'.

The term was employed by C.G. Jung (the psychoanalyst). It has been used by the New Critics since 1930s to refer to a specific pattern fo plot or character which gives rise to what Jung calls a “racial pattern”. Generally in criticism ‘archetype’ is applied to narrative patterns, type of character or images, which are common to a variety of literary works, myths or dreams. The followers of archetypal criticism are Maud Bodkin, G.Wilson Knight, Robert Graves, Richard Chase, Joseph Campbell, Philip Wheelwright.

In this post I am only going to talk about the archetypes in Milton’s ‘Lycidas’. Milton’s ‘Lycidas’ is an elegy in the pastoral convention. It has been written n commemoration of Edward King, who died having drowned in the sea. In this poem, Lycidas is not an individual but an archetype. He is an archetype of Edward King. Although the use of a flower in poetry is not an archetype, yet the ‘sanguine flower inscrib’d with woe’ is one. This is so because of the tradition of associating a red or purple flower with the death of a young man.

In addition to it, Lycidas is not only the representation of Edward King, he is based on the same conventional form of Shelley’s Adonais, Daphnis of Theocritus and Virgil, and Milton’s own Damon. Then there are archetypes of the King as a poet and as a priest, Orpheus and Peter respectively. Further, there is the image of a dolphin, a conventional type of Christ.Milton’s Lycidas has been dealt in detail by Northrop Frye in his essay ‘Literature as Context: Milton’s Lycidas’.