Thinking Activity "The Rape of the Lock" Alexander Pope.

This Blog-post is as a response of Assignment on three question which are given by our professor ma'am Vaidehi Hariyani. To know more about this this task,CLICK HERE.

 

• The Rape of the Lock:

Alexander Pope, one of the very prominent figures from Neo-Classical Age in English Literature. The Rape of the Lock is mock-heroic narrative poem, published in 1712. It's based on a bit of true event, told by his friend John Caryll. Before start the answer, here I put the basic summary of this poem.

• Answers are here:

1.) According to you, who is the protagonist of the play Clarissa or Belinda? Why? Give your answer with logical  reasons.

I prefer to choose Belinda as the protagonist of the play. In this entire poem, central character is Belinda. Pope portrayed her as, in some negative role as the protagonist. As a reader we first have a sympathy towards Belinda, that how a poor girl she is. But, at the speech of Clarissa, we came to know more about her pride towards her beauty. Clarissa shows her self as a selfish kind of a women. Before her speech she sudden try to help her suitor. Here, Belinda is the character that what pope actually try to show, while Clarissa is not like that. She has some kind of complexity towards Belinda.    

2.) What is beauty? Write your views about it.

As this GIF shows that you see very beautiful, whenever your face in any light. Exactly, what society expect from everyone, especially in woman's case.People wants to see us beautiful in anytime and in anywhere.Why we need this type of "LIGHT" to show our beauty? In this poem, Belinda has her own beauty, but the other has not, it's doesn't mean that they all are not beautiful. That means they all are beautiful, perhaps their inner beauty. 

Here, I put one advertisement, for try to more clear this point. 

In this soap advertisement, there is only one target is that 'Girls Beauty of Looking (Physically). This word Physically Appearance is very highly problematic word or use by people for girls. In this video, every girls perhaps rejected by other people's taunt.Here, physical appearance being played main role in our lives rather than our virtues,self-dedication, inner strength, own dreams, own freedom towards our dreams and so many things.  

According to my point of view, many of times, we need some attention from other people's. We need like Belinda that, for my this beauty people should praise my beauty. Our this deep needs perhaps make us very lower in front of our eyes. Which we can't see.

3.) Find out a research paper on "The Rape of the Lock". Give the details of the paper and write down in brief what does it say about the Poem by Alexander Pope.

I found one research paper from University of Delhi, Delhi, India, named,Dr. Meeta Mathur who is Associate Professor at

Department of English. Want to see this research paper, just CLICK HERE.

In Abstract, scholar introduced us Pope's this literary work, or also wrote about that is poem is based on a some true event on Miss Aabella Fermor and Lord Peter. Further he wrote that,pope has glorified the trivialities of the youth, the degeneration of society with prosperity unaccompanied by sensibility. He also mention literary terms,

• Index Terms: mock epic, heroic, trivial, society, youth, parody, self-indulgence.

• Mock-epic Heroic poem:

• About Mock-epic poem: a dignified genre is put to witty use without being demeaning it in anyway.
• Ironic parallels to familiar passages in Homer and Virgil.
• A mock heroic poem
• is a parody of an epic and not the ridicule of a literary form as some critics believe it to be. 
• the invocation of the muse, the proposition of the subject, the descriptions, the moralizing all aside, only the speeches and the battle are practically the only structural features that are modeled on the epic.

Scholar wrote about that, Pope was more concerned about Miss Fermor and Lord Peter rather than with Homer and Virgil.The game of ombre is dignified by several elaborate similes, such as the comparison of the scattering of cards to the dispersal of a routed army, as it is the battle of beau and belles. Agame of romps was never so well dignified before. The comparison drawn between sun and Belinda is quite paradoxical.Pope uses many periphrases and uncommon appellations for the scissors with which Lord Peter performs the rape – “two edg’d weapon”, “little engine”,“glittering forfex”,“fatal engine”, “sheers”, “meeting points”

Words:765

Romantic Literature : Ode to Duty

This Blog-post is a response of a task on Romantic Literature, given by our professor ma'am Yesha Bhatt.

Ode to Duty by William Wordsworth:

What is Ode:

According to Merriam Webster dictionary,"a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms"

"I am no longer good through deliberate intent, but by long habit have reached a point where I am not only able to do right, but am unable to do anything but what is right."(Seneca, Letters 120.10)

Stern Daughter of the Voice of God!

O Duty! if that name thou love

Who art a light to guide, a rod

To check the erring, and reprove;

Thou, who art victory and law

When empty terrors overawe;

From vain temptations dost set free;

And calm'st the weary strife of frail humanity!

There are who ask not if thine eye

Be on them; who, in love and truth,

Where no misgiving is, rely

Upon the genial sense of youth:

Glad Hearts! without reproach or blot;

Who do thy work, and know it not:

Oh! if through confidence misplaced

They fail, thy saving arms, dread Power! around them cast.

Serene will be our days and bright,

And happy will our nature be,

When love is an unerring light,

And joy its own security.

And they a blissful course may hold

Even now, who, not unwisely bold,

Live in the spirit of this creed;

Yet seek thy firm support, according to their need.

I, loving freedom, and untried;

No sport of every random gust,

Yet being to myself a guide,

Too blindly have reposed my trust:

And oft, when in my heart was heard

Thy timely mandate, I deferred

The task, in smoother walks to stray;

But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may.

Through no disturbance of my soul,

Or strong compunction in me wrought,

I supplicate for thy control;

But in the quietness of thought:

Me this unchartered freedom tires;

I feel the weight of chance-desires:

My hopes no more must change their name,

I long for a repose that ever is the same.

Stern Lawgiver! yet thou dost wear

The Godhead's most benignant grace;

Nor know we anything so fair

As is the smile upon thy face:

Flowers laugh before thee on their beds

And fragrance in thy footing treads;

Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong;

And the most ancient heavens, through Thee, are fresh and strong.

To humbler functions, awful Power!

I call thee: I myself commend

Unto thy guidance from this hour;

Oh, let my weakness have an end!

Give unto me, made lowly wise,

The spirit of self-sacrifice;

The confidence of reason give;

And in the light of truth thy Bondman let me live!

• Seven stanza of eight lines in ABABCCDD
• included in second edition of Lyrical Ballad
• published in 1800

According to Wordsworth's own statement, the “Ode to Duty” was modeled on Thomas Gray's “Hymn to Adversity,” which in turn was imitated from Horace's “Ode to Fortune.” The stanza is identical with that used by Gray, and there are resemblances in ideas and phraseology. 

Romantic Literature:London 1802

 This Blog-post is a response of a task on Romantic Literature, given by our professor ma'am Yesha Bhatt.

“The best portion of a good man's life: his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

💮William Wordsworth💮

London,1802

MILTON! thou shouldst be living at this hour:

    England hath need of thee: she is a fen

    Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,

Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,

Have forfeited their ancient English dower

    Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;

    Oh! Raise us up, return to us again,

And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power!

Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;

    Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:

    Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,

    So didst thou travel on life's common way,

In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart

    The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

This poem is written by Wordsworth which present eulogies of John Milton.Composed in 1802, "London, 1802" was published for the first time in Poems, in Two Volumes. 

This sonnet is dedicated to John Milton by William Wordsworth. The speaker addresses the soul of the dead poet John Milton, saying that he should be alive at this moment in history, for England needs him. England, the speaker says, is stagnant and selfish, and Milton could raise her up again. 

• Literary Type: Petrarchan sonnet
• Rhyme scheme :abba abba cdd ece
• Written in : iambic pentameter
• Written in 1802
• The poem begins with the cry: “Milton!
• the altar (representing religion), 
• the sword (representing the military), 
• the pen (representing literature),
• the fireside (representing the home)has lost touch with “inward happiness,” 

The speaker says that Milton could give England “manners, virtue, freedom, power,” for his soul was like a star, his voice had a sound as pure as the sea, and he moved through the world with “cheerful godliness,” laying upon himself the “lowest duties.”Here also we can see"she is a fen"that Wordsworth use metaphor for England as a Woman.  

" The lowliest duties on herself did lay."

Last line described the humble nature of Milton,that how's pure Milton's heart was.

Thinking Activity: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

 This Blog-post is as a response of Thinking Activity on Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice given by our professor ma'am  Yesha Bhatt.

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners written by Jane Austen.It is mostly known romantic novel and also a satire.

Film Screening at our classroom.

Movie Posture. 
Pride&Prejudice 2005,directed by Joe Wright. 

Official Trailer of the Movie.

• Post-viewing task:

1) Which version of the novel is more appealing? Novel or film (adaptation)? Why?

Film and literature are two different things with a similar goal to create sublimity in human imagination and understanding. Both film and literature work hand in hand to boost the progress of human civilization. And they are the complimentary in nature and one is no substitute to the other, like letters and sounds in human communication. Film and literature inspire and enrich each others. They also ennoble human mind through action, images, words and replicating life of human beings.

Adaptation of film / film making is an advanced and important milestone in the development / progress of human being. Film is the only area, which depicts the people, though they are of any class (poor, middle & rich) along with the predicament and happiness. Films also capture the same like literature but due to its visual and sound effect, it got wide popularity

In this film, perhaps 80% dialogues are similar to the original text.It's very noticeable thing for director.So my preference is goes to Movie. One thing is very clear and one has to accept it that literature gives verbal literacy while films give visual literacy.And majority of learners perhaps go with visual literacy.

Behind scenes:Making of the movie.

2)Character of Elizabeth:

• second daughter in the Bennet family,
• the most well-known female characters in English literature. 
• the most intelligent and quick-witted.
• lovely, clever, and, in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly.
• her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray.
• regarded as the most admirable and endearing of Austen's heroines.
• she is quick to judge, sure, but she is also smart and eager to learn.
• she learns from and attempts to fix her mistakes.
• A developed mind, good values and strong character are the source of Elizabeth’s strength.

3) Character of Mr. Darcy:

• Fitzwilliam Darcy an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Bennet, the novel's protagonist.
• a proud and arrogant man, particularly to those that he considers of lower social status.
• handsome, noble, and admired greatly by all at the first ball
• Darcy is very introvert character while he not express his feelings towards the people who are surrounds him.
• a quite good observer. He observe everything which is connected to his pride. 
• he is not able to communicate with everyone easily. 
• meaning of superiority complex that a belief that your abilities or accomplishments are somehow dramatically better than other people's.Darcy has this type of complexity towards surrounding people.  

4)Give illustrations of the society of that time.

The novel written in 1813. Novel described clean and clear about the earlier social states of 19th century. It was originally titled First Impression because the appearances of the characters of the characters created the plot of the novel.

However, the novel is also concerned with the effects of the character’s first impression, which is their prejudice; Austen finally found the title Pride and Prejudice more appropriate.This novel belongs to Romantic Period between 1800- 1850, which is signed with France Revolution.

• Social Stratification:

Social Stratification is a distinction or grouping of members of the community as a vertical (rise). the social stratification of English society reflected in Pride and Prejudice novel (1813) on a sociological approach. We can see in Darcy's character and his aunt Lady Catherine's character. As per Darcy's reaction towards Elizabeth.

• Social Aspects:Upper Class and Middle Class.
• Economic Aspects. Lay Catherine. 

5) If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie?

Screenplay writer is become a very tough thing to do. In the film industries  it's very Challenged thing. If I was director of this particular  film. In the movie, Elizabeth's character is more melodramatic at the starting of the film. We can see that she smiles every moment while in the novel perhaps it's not happened.In the movie, Elizabeth portrayed not as serious as she portrayed in the novel. So as a screenplay writer, I would like to prefer Elizabeth's character what she described by Austen in the text.

Groombridge Place is a remarkable and beautiful country estate resting on the border between East Sussex and Kent. Joe Wright's took this place which is very appropriate.

6) Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?

Here I would compare Hollywood actors and actress with Bollywood stars:

Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy.

Mohit Raina as Mr.Darcy

    

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet

Shraddha Kapoor as Elizabeth Bennet. 

Sources: 

BTS of movie

Article on Elizabeth's

Article on Mr.Darcy

Words:844

Thinking Activity : Macbeth

This Blog-post as a response of Thinking Activity on Macbeth, given by Dilip Barad Sir. 

• Feminist Reading of  Lady Macbeth:

Lady Macbeth is the historical character in English Literature which is highly appears in the controversy of critics or society. She is very strong and high speech character. Although, apart from all main characters, Lady Macbeth is completely Imaginary Character by William Shakespeare. 

• Her Education:

In Act-I, Scene-V she appear with reading a letter of her husband. This is high significant thing that on that time, during Elizabethan Age, perhaps there was woman education under the region.So we can appreciate this educational thing from Lady Macbeth.Because of her educational personality she argues for her rights and it is not in bad perspective. 

•  Her Character for Planning and Structure.  

Lady Macbeth observes King Duncan (Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole(British Painter), 19th century)

After reading a letter, she appear to be very influential in planning and deciding when and how they should kill King Duncan – and chiding her husband for not acting more like a man,despite this capabilities she continuously become a bad character in front of the reader. Because of she is the main reason to the murder of Duncan.But above all this things we have to notice about her quality to planning or structure making, despite of her bad thinking about murder.  

• Iron-willed Character:

“[pluck] my nipple from [my child’s] boneless gums, And [dash] the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this” (Act-I,scene-VII)

According to materialist feminism theory, despite her earlier show of strength, Lady Macbeth’s eventual weakness is a result of a patriarchal portrayal of her gender.This how as a reader we must noticed about patriarchy society. 

Despite of this character, typically, the most highly regarded literary works focus on male protagonists - Oedipus, Ulysses, Hamlet,Jones,Faust,the Three Musketeers,Captain Ahab,Huck Finn,Leopold Bloom– who embody masculine traits and ways of feeling and pursue masculine interest in masculine field of action.

But in the play, Macbeth's character is not completely in masculine action. So Shakespeare perhaps makes her as a masculine heroine of action.  

• Patriarchy :

Women themselves are taught, in the process of being socialized, to internalized the reigning patriarchal ideology (that is conscious and unconscious presuppositions about male superiority). Patriarchal society encourages Lady Macbeth to invest herself in the role of mother. Lady Macbeth is seen as selfish and abnormal when she confesses that there is a situation in which she would “[dash] [her child’s] brains out” (Act-I.scene-vii), a very unnatural statement according to patriarchy’s belief that women’s desire to have and protect children is a part of “their natural biological makeup.” Though intelligent and strong at the beginning of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is reduced to an insignificant person haunted by nightmares and guilt as a result of a patriarchal portrayal of her gender.Patriarchy defines Lady Macbeth’s intelligence as a flaw and as an indicator that she is unnatural and “unfulfilled” as a woman.So this is not fault of Lady Macbeth but actually is fault of Patriarchal Society or patriarchal ideology. Also noticed that Lady Macbeth, she not as bound to domestic duties as Lady Macduff,but her sharpness and intellectual capabilities she uses for her own self. 

In today's time, we as a audience or readers we can see that how Lady Macbeth appear as a strong woman with highly ambitious and educationally. 

Sources:

A Glossary of Literary Terms Page.no,124-125

Feminist Reading Journal Marion A. Davis

Words:574

The Neo-Classical Age

In the whole History of English Literature,we introduced Neo-Classical Age by it's three stages,

Neo word presents something new or innovative. In literature, after Elizabethan literature, people wants to go with their ancient ideas or classical literature. They sudden followed their classical styles in present way. This what literary scholar called, "Neo-Classical Age."  

1)Write a brife note on favorite work from the Neo-Classical Age. 

Robinson Crusoe(1719-1720)

The Novel in full,"The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years, All Alone in an Un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, Near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having Been Cast on Shore by Shipwreck, Wherein All the Men Perished but Himself. With an Account how he was at last as Strangely Deliver’d by Pyrates. Written by Himself." First published in 1719. It is Defoe's first first long work in Fiction. 

Summary of the Novel.

• Based on real life adventurer of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk.
• A lasting   literary legacy blending a unique prose style with survival narrative engaging easy to read language. 
• its structure is highly episodic, and Defoe’s uneven narrative pacing and niggling errors.
• the fact that it draws together features of the genres of romance, memoir, fable, allegory.
• Some argues that novel is the only label large enough to describe it. 
• Defoe’s novel was presented as a ‘just History of Fact’, but it exploits the freedoms of fiction.
• Crusoe’s story, a story Samuel Taylor Coleridge called ‘a happy nightmare’

2)Compare the major writer of the age with other major writer from the various age.

Points	John Milton	Alexander Pope
Era	Puritan	Neo-Classical(Augustan period)
Other profession	Served as a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell.	No other profession
Central topic of the poem	Religious flux and political upheaval	Satirical and discursive
Poetic Style	Miltonic verse, Miltonic epic, or Miltonic blank verse	Heroic Couplets
Best work	Epic poem Paradise Lost (1667). Written in blank verse	An Essay on Criticism (1711).Written in heroic couplet.
Characteristics	Sublimity Love of Beauty Classicism Seriousness Spiritual Import Ancient and Modern Art	Heroic Couplets Morality and Virtue Satire and Imitation Critical of Other Poets

 

• Differences between two poems 

Paradise Lost	The Rape of The Lock
Disobedience is in center	spirituality in high society
A very serious poem in which one would contemplate death	Pope mocks society in a very satire way
Heavy tone	light and airy tone
No rhyme structure	Uses masculine rhyme
Words such as“forbidden” and “woe”	“compel”and “A gentle Belle”

 

 

Resources 

Summary of the novel

Differences between poems

Milton's Characteristics

Words:1022

Sunday Reading Task: Lockdown - A poem by UK's poet laureate Simon Armitage

 This blog post is a response of Sunday reading task, given by Dilip Barad Sir.To know more about this Task CLICK HERE

"Lockdown" is very popular poem written by English poet or Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. The poem addressed the corona-virus and the pandemic situation. It moved the outbreak of bubonic plague in Eyam, in the 17th century.Here is the poem:

First half of the poem:

And I couldn’t escape the waking dream of infected fleas

in the warp and weft of soggy cloth

by the tailor’s hearth

in ye olde Eyam.

Then couldn’t un-see

the Boundary Stone,

that cock-eyed dice with its six dark holes,

thimbles brimming with vinegar wine

purging the plagued coins.

Which brought to mind the sorry story

of Emmott Syddall and Rowland Torre,

star-crossed lovers on either side

of the quarantine line

whose wordless courtship spanned the river

till she came no longer.

This part of the poem, Armitage took references from Eyam's boundary stone which contained six dark holes. Villagers put their money in the hols and then fill with vinegar wine as a hope that it's become cleans.He also put the sorry story of Emmott Syddall and Rowland Torre. These two lovers not able to meet because of plagued. 

Second half of the poem:

But slept again,

and dreamt this time

of the exiled yaksha sending word

to his lost wife on a passing cloud,

a cloud that followed an earthly map

of camel trails and cattle tracks,

streams like necklaces,

fan-tailed peacocks, painted elephants,

embroidered bedspreads

of meadows and hedges,

bamboo forests and snow-hatted peaks,

waterfalls, creeks,

the hieroglyphs of wide-winged cranes

and the glistening lotus flower after rain,

the air

hypnotically see-through, rare,

the journey a ponderous one at times, long and slow

but necessarily so.

In this second half of the poem, poet try to sleep again and now he saw a dream of Kalidasa's Meghatudta which in, Yaksha send the message through the passing cloud to his wife. Armitage used here Kalidasa's one of the great imaginary work. When cloud passed he saw several beauty of nature or culture also. He saw camel tracks and cattle track, peacocks, painted elephants, meadows and hedges, bamboo forest,snow-hatted peaks,waterfalls, creeks and many more.

This messenger shows perhaps every human being's deep desire to see the world during pandemic. Armitage used it to show that till now we have our own country or never-ending beauty.Here poet also described to East from West. In the last two lines, long and slow but necessarily so. He mentioned that the time of pandemic will be better again in the future. It's process is slow and long period of time but at the result we all meet together very soon and healthy manner. 

 

Here I have tried to express my agitation trough this poem:

I'm the curious soul nowadays.

To know the world from the world!

I'm the nervous soul nowadays.

To know the situation to be controlled.

Can I create the another Ram Setu?

Can I bring the stones from ancient Ram Setu?

I'm the happiest soul with deep desire,

I'm very narrower with huge fire.

Can I bring the fire of Lanka's?

Can I throw the stones in Shore?

If I throw the stones,

How can I bring them again?

Bcz I need them now as the blessings

as the medicine of Corona's.

May I have the God's blessings like monkeys?  

                                                  -Divya Sheta.

Sources: 

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