I. A. Richards : The Figurative Language

                       Thinking Activity 
                                        

    His works :

        The Meaning of Meaning -1923

       The Principle of Literary Criticism -1924

        The Practical Criticism- 1929

     

     He mainly talks about four kinds of misunderstanding :

1- Misunderstanding of the sense of poetry : Careless, intuitive reading (rhyme or irregular syntax) 

2- Over -Literal reading - prosaic reading

3- Defective scholarship ; inappropriate metaphor 

4- Difference in meaning of words in poetry and prose ( Personification, Metaphors, etc) 

      According to him the relevance of a poem lies in the reactions and attitudes it creates. For him the value of a work if art lies in its power to harmonize and organize complex and warring human impulse into patterns that are lasting and pleasurable. 

     He gives the example of the poetry :

                         Solemn and Gray 

                                     

                                   

                  A Health, a ringing health 

                                         

                             Climb Cloud 

                                         

Here I am analyzing the poem :

      In this poem we finds paradoxical language ,Metaphors etc.

                           તવંગર ભિખારી…!!!

                                       

મુજ દિલની પ્યાસ ને હું આંસુઓ પી ને બુજવતો આવ્યો છુ…

ને…જીંદગી ભરથી ગમ ખાઈ ને..ગુજારો કરતો આવ્યો છુ…

ના આંસુઓ વહેવડાવજો મુજ આ એકલતાભરી દશા પર
છેક…..જન્મ થી જ બસ એકલો જ ચાલતો આવ્યો છુ…!!!

આંસુઓ ખુટ્યા છે આજ નયન ભંડારના એટલે… જ…
ઝાંઝવાના નીર કાજ – આજ અંહિ ભટકતો આવ્યો છુ…

તદ્દ્દન ખરું છે કે પ્રેમ એ આંધળો છે…
માટે જ છતી આંખો એ બસ હું અથડાતો આવ્યો છુ…

નથી રહી જ્ગ્યા દિલમાં હવે વધુ વેદનાને સંઘરવા..
છતાં યે બસ એ જ મંઝિલોને હું ચાહતો આવ્યો છુ…

આમ તો છુ હું બેતાજ બાદશાહ શબ્દો નો ‘અંકુર’
પણ તુજ દ્વારે આજ ભિખારી બનીને દિલ માંગવા આવ્યો છુ…!!!

– હસમુખ ધરોડ ‘અંકુર’

           By this poem we finds that there is contradiction in the use of imaginary words. The title it self is showing the paradoxical meaning. Because we all knows that a Beggar has no money that is why he is called Beggar, but here poet uses the word Rich Beggar. So it becomes paradoxical. 

            The first stanza says that the poet has drinked his tears for his thirst and he has eaten sorrow for survival. So we find that tears can't be drink or sorrow can't be eaten. But it means he suffered a lot, or we can say that his love is not accepted by his beloved. So he cried a lot. He becomes habitual to live alone life .

            In the fourth stanza he says that love is blind.There he makes use of personification for love by giving life to the word . Than he says that he has a eyes yet he Impinged ,so there we find that by having eyes we can not impinge. 

              By this poem we can say that the poem is about losing the love of poet but by seeing the title we may consider the Poem about a beggar, but it is not so. But it is about how poet feels after loosing his love and still he tries to convince his love to her beloved. 

              In the end again  we find two paradoxical word one means king and another is beggar. So this all things creates misunderstanding and contradiction in reading poem but after understanding of the poem it fits in it. For the understanding of the poem one should have literally sense. 

          Here I am giving the example of the use of figure :

Champion

Dwayne Bravo

LYRICS

DJ Bravo DJ Bravo
DJ Bravo DJ Bravo

Champion champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Everybody know say Bravo a champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Everybody know Chris Gayle is a champion

Beenie a champion
Bounty a champion
Machel is a champion
Bunji is a champion
Pollard is a champion
Lara is a champion
Gayle is a champion
Don't forget
Michel Jordan, Obama a champion
Mandela a champion, Serena a champion
Wendy a champion, Shelly-Ann a champion
958 BOLT a champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Everybody know say Bravo a champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Champion champion
Everybody knows Chris Gayle is a champion

                  The song  released by Caribbean  (West Indies) cricketer Dwayne Bravo. Who are familiar with the cricket they can understand the song or name which are used in the song as a figure. 

                The another thing about this song is there he uses other Political figures ,Sports person, and Cricketers. For the understanding of the song one must should  have knowledge of this all fogures.

              This all persons became champion in their field. 

So we can say it is good example of the figurative poetry. 

Here I am giving another example of how language creats paradox. 

                                                  

                                         

       By this line we can say that how a person can see someone with closed eyes. 

The another example is :

We can say that how an eye can be pink ?

By this line we can say that how can we convert soil into sky? 

    This film's title looks positive but it is about drug abuse by the youth population in the state. 

      So here I am concluding my topic, we can find metaphor, personification, symbol, figure, myth in songs and poems.

         This all things used to create emotions and attitudes. 

                                                          Thanks.... 

Thinking Activity on the novel Frankenstein

                                     

  1 - What are some major differences between movie and the novel Frankenstein ? (Mention any three) 

    

   * In the movie when Victor's brother killed by Monster that time Victor remains present . But in book it is not so. 

      * In the movie Female Monster suicides while in the book Victor kills her. 

       * In the movie Monster collects beetroots while in the book he collects firewood. 

    2- Did this movie help you in understanding the plot of the novel ? 

                                     

                                       

                                                              

         * Obviously yes, It's helps a lot. There are such things which are not same but the plot is quite same. We can get idea about plot, theme and story. We can interpret the roll of characters also. 

         3 -  Who do you think is real Monster ? 

                                          

         *  According to me society is the real monster. Because it is the society or Victor's relation which leads him to create life in dead ones.  We can say that society creates some kind of mindset that, who have powerful mind they are best or only those can get great fame. So we can say that Victor tries to achieve that thing. In Monster's case , society makes him violent. Because it is society who is not accepting him just because of his ugly look. We can interpret that society cosidres monster who have ugly look. So by saying this we can say that society is in center for making monster. 

        4 - From where Mary Shelley get the idea for the novel Frankenstein?  

                                       

            * There were a competition between Mary Shelley, Byron, Polidori and P. B. Shelley about to write better horror Story. So she starts thinking about it. One day she had dream about a ghost. By that dream she creates this novel. 

           5 - Do you think the search for the knowledge is dangerous and destructive?  

                                       

          * No,I don't think. Because we find that we have so many new things and technology ,specially in medical science. So this all things came because of human' s search for knowledge. 

            6 - What are some Myths used by Mary Shelley in the novel Frankenstein?  

         * Mary Shelley uses so many myths in her novel. 

          # The myth of Prometheus : It's also the subtitle of novel. In the myth of Prometheus, Prometheus steals the fire from heaven to help human and gets punished by the Zeus.  Same ,Victor wants to help people by giving life to dead ones but the creation becomes evil . And he meets to tragic end. 

                                       

        # Myth of Bible : In the Bible God creates human. Same in the novel Victor creates Monster. 

                                       

     # Myth of Narcissus : In the Greek mythology Narcissus was a hunter. He was known for his beauty. He was self centered, proud , egoist. He keeps seeing his reflection and dies . In the case of Victor he also wants to pride, fame and glory. He just only thinks about his own self. 

                                        

       7 - Write about the narratology of Frankenstein. 

             * There are three narrators in the novel. First is Walton, who tells the story to his sister in the form of letters ,which is calls epistolary writing. Second is Victor, who tells the story to Walton .The third is Monster.     

                                         

                                          Thank-you 

       

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

•   Feminism in the Novel Frankenstein 

                                     

Introduction : 

                      In this Gothic novel women plays a passive role. The technique of narration it self shows the positive way. There are so many female characters in the novel. 

                                         

        There are such things which plays a big role in the life of Mary Shelley. We can interpret that, these were the things which may lead her to write a novel like Frankenstein. 

        Her mother dies after the eleven days of her birth. Her mother was a feminist. Mary Shelley gives birth to a premature baby and unfortunately baby dies. She marries to P. B. shelley after the suicide of his first wife, Harriet. She spends her time near Geneva, Switzerland. Her husband dies in the storm when he was sailing boat. 

           All this things we finds in her works. We can say that by experiencing such things and with imagination she has written this novel.

Women characters in the novel :

       - Margaret Saville 

       - Elizabeth Lavenza 

       - Justine Moritz 

       - Agatha 

       - Safie 

       - Caroline Beaufort 

       - Female Monster 

Feminism in the novel : 

Elizabeth : 

             She first appears in the novel with her beauty. ' Very Fair ' with ' cloudless ' ' blue eyes ' and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features and with inner beauty also. That's the all thing attracts Caroline.  

                                      

        So we find that this giving of attractiveness, gives the positivity of her character in the novel. During the whole novel she defined by her appearance, to Victor. 

          Victor sees her as an merely object, something for pleasure rather than being a human with actual feelings. 

                                       

       He uses the word ' beautiful ' for her rather than kind, intelligent, or interesting. This could be seen as an exclamation of affection. 

                                       

          We can not find any other roles of her in the novel. 

Female Monster : 

                            We can discusses feminism in the novel through the character of Female Monster. 

                                         

Monster to Victor : " I demand a creature of another sex but as hideous as I am. "

      So again we finds that the value of female is to bring joy in the life of Monster. He wants also company. By seeing Felix and Safie happy with each other, may he also felt that he (it)  can also be happy and free from loneliness. 

                                        

      And also he thinks to make her hideous as he is, so no other man can not be with her. As other female not be with him. 

       Victor fearsly says that ' one of the first results of those sympathies for which the daemon thirsted would be children. So he destroys her. 

       Victor could make her without womb as the body parts necessary to produce children. Then the problem of " race of devils " would be solved. So that shows the mentality of Victor towards women . 

Justine :

              She has not even gaven a chance to speak, or we can say that she has accepted the blame of murdering William which was not right. 

                                      

Conclusion :        Thus  we can conclude this topic by saying that the portrayal of woman is less active. Women used as a tool in the novel. Mary has given less power or activeness to the women characters in the novel. 

                           Thank-you... 

T. S. Eliot : Tradition and Individual talent

                     Thinking Activity 
                                     

                          

                   

(1888-1965)

1- How would you like to explain Eliot's concept of tradition ? Do you agree with it? 

     Yes, I'm agree with the concept of Tradition. Eliot explains the concept of tradition with wider sense. Most of the time the word 'tradition' uses in negative sense. But Eliot says that it is not like that. According to him, because of the great past one can make novelty in work. It's not merely imitating. It can't be inherited but it should be strive by great labour. It is not just copying the past but to be fit in with new awareness. 

                                      

2- What do you understand by Historical sense? 

       

         By explaining the concept of tradition, Eliot uses the concept of Historical sense. 

   "The Historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence."

        Historical sense means what is still or already living not what is dead. It describes the perception of the presence of the past not only it's pastness. He uses the words timelessness and temporal. Because the great works are still living in temporary time. The ideas of past still living in today's time. That is the thing which makes writer traditional.   

                                     

3- What is the relationship between Tradition and Individual talent? 

         In his Essay Eliot very well explains the relationship between tradition and individual talent. Eliot says that tradition means not just what comes Inherited but it can be strive by great labour. For that one should have individual talent. One can enhance this skill by great labour. For that he gives the example of Shakespeare. Shakespeare enhance his skill by wide reading of Greek Literature and Homer. By using this all things with creativity in his work. That's calls individual talent. 

      

                                       

                                                                        

                                  

4- Explain : "Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum. "

          This sentence shows the great individual talent of Shakespeare. Shakespeare has cultivated the skill of wide reading , he just read the whole Plutarch's life and he gets knowledge from Greek literature. Or we can say that from different different fields he collects the knowledge and then implies that skill in his creative work with new techniques and manner. That's the thing which other contemporaries of him has not cultivated, so they are become less success. So we can say that Shakespeare lived through his age. He has also good absorbing quality. 

      

                                     

5- Explain : " Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon Poet but upon the poetry ."

           By this quote Eliot says that the criticism of any work should be done upon the artist's art not upon artist. Or upon poetry not upon poet. Critc should have criticise the work with honesty, by staying aloof. He should not criticise the work by only reading the title of the work or writer's name. For the good judgement he should judge the only poetry not poet. The work of poet is more important. 

                                     

6- How would you like to explain Eliot's theory of Depersonalization? 

      In this theory Eliot uses the scientific equation. Or we can say chemical reaction. By this scientific elements he describes the poetic process. He gives the example of Sulfuric acid. To get this element, their must should be platinum as a catalyst. But when we get this element we can not find platinum. Platinum remains total absent. By giving this example he suggests that in the poem ,poet 's emotion and feeling should be not there. Poet has to be depersonalize. Because that's the thing which gives more beauty to his work. 

                                    

7- Explain "Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion,"It not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. " 

        This quote shows the theory of depersonalizstion .The work of any poet should be written with detachment. His own feelings should be not there in his work. If poet writes with aloofness then his work will get more success. Poet should be  escape from personality. 

                                        

8- Write two points on which one can write critique on T. S. Eliot as a critic. 

       Eliot gives the concepts of : Tradition, Individual talent, Depersonalization .In this theory he describes the historical sense, escaping from emotions. Also he emphasis the individual talent, which one can strive by great labour. 

                                      

                            Thank you 

        

Mathew Arnold - The Study of Poetry

                      Mathew Arnold 
                      
                                   

          He was a poet, critic or we can say critic of critics. And he also worked as an inspector of schools. He was a professor of poetry. His other works are The Function of Criticism ,Culture and Anarchy ,Dover Beach and etc. 

          In The Study of Poetry he gives the definition of poetry. According to him Poetry is a 'criticism of life'. 

     

                   Thinking Activity 

                 

Do you agree with Mathew Arnold's views on Detachment, Disinterestedness, Fallacies like historical and personal, Touchstone Method and his definition of Poetry ? 

     Yes, I am agree with his principles of detachment and disinterestedness .Because it is still relevant in today's time. In his definition of poetry he says that it is a criticism of life, yes, that's true because we find that most of the literary works are written by writer's own experiences .What he feels about life that he portrays in his /her works. 

        In the principle of detachment, In poetry idea is everything. The fundamental idea of criticism appeals to us strongly is neither to find fault nor to display the critic's own learning or influence. To be disinterested is necessary to judge any work, because that's the nature gives the right justice to the work. If we partially gives the judgement than it will be injustice. If we take example of cricket. In cricket umpire has to be impartial in a way may he like the other team but if batsman hits six or he gets out in both situations he has to play neutral role. Same in literary works critics has to be neutral not see whose work is this, he has to just follow the rules of criticism. 

              I am not agree with the Touchstone method. Historical judgement being fallacious because we regard ancient poets with excessive voneration and Personal judgements being fallacious when we are biased forward a contemporary poet. We see in this method historical works are compared to contemporary works , than gives the judgement but it is irrelevant in today's time because the situation what prevaileded before now it is totally different. So comparing the world we can not get good judgement. If we take example of cricket we find that there are so many batsman who plays unorthodox shots but he becomes success in scoring run, so we can not say that by comparing with old batsman they are bad. So the quality is important. 

     So we can say that by comparing with history we not get right judgement of work. 

                                    

                      Thank you....