Thinking activity

Thinking Activity

(The Background reading: 

The Renaissance literature)

This blog is response to thinking activity assigned by Dr.Dilip Barad sir.
1.Write in brief about Edmund Spencer or Ben Jonson or Francis Bacon or on any one of their works.
2.Comparision & Contrast characteristics of renaissance age with any other age.

(1)Edmund Spenser
(1552-1599)

Edmund Spenser, Poet's poet, non-dramatic poet, busy man of affairs who uses natural characters or his ideas and beauty of expression in his verse and rich malody makes him one of the most prominent figure of Elizabethan age.

So, lets discuss about non-dramatic poet - Edmund Spenser & lets have a look upon his major works.

three great influence upon Spenser's writing

1.Cambridge Where he familiarize with classic and the Italian poets

2.London Where he experienced the glamour and the disappointment of court life

3.Ireland Which steeped him in the beauty and imagery of old celtic poetry

Poetical form of Spenser's poetry

• Invented a new form known as Spenserian stanza
• rhyming style: ababbcbcc
• Nine lines, eight of five feet each and the last of six feet

Characteristics of Spenser's poetry

1.a splendid imagination 2.a rare sense of beautt 3.a splendid imagination 4.the throwing ideals of renaissance 5.a lofty moral purity and seriousness 6.a delicate idealism

Works of Spenser
1.	Faery Queen gave name & fame to Spenser Spenser's masterpiece Spenser have plan of including 24 books but completed only six parts supposed unfinished parts were burned in the caste each part recount the adventure and triumph of a knight(knight represent moral value) Purly allegorical represents struggle between good & evil  first three parts were published in 1590, firstthree parts were republished in 1596 together with Book- lV-V-V Six parts of Faery Queen 1 Holiness 2 Temperance 3 Chastity 4 Friendship 5 Justice 6 Courtesy
2.	Shepherd's Calender(1579) Spenser's first work Next to his masterpiece Consists twelve pastrol poems, ecologues Speakers are shepherds & shepherdesses Describes nature love in the fields
Other noteworthy poems
1.	Mother Hubbard's Tale(1591) Satire on society
2.	Astrophel(1595) an elegy on the death of his friend sir.Philip Sidney
3	Amoretti(1595) to his beloved Elizabeth(an Irish girl)
4	Epithalamion(1595) The marriage hymn
5	Hymns On heavenly love & heavenly beauty

Death of Spenser

• in an inn at Westminster
• many critics and writers have given reason of his death but whether because of controversy or actually died of destitution will probably be never known
• buried beside his master Chaucer in Westminster

(2)Comparision & Contrast between Renaissance and Romanitic period

Literature of any age throws flashes on history or historical background of the age. One age effects and affects to other ages. One can find  some similarities in two different ages whereas some extend contrast also be found. Historically periods are very potential & important in giving descriptions & evaluation about past and present events. Here, we are discussing about Renaissance age & Romantic age.

Renaissance period was nearly between 15th and late 17th century. In comparision with Renaissance, Romantic era is quite shorter period nearly around late 18th century to mid 19th century.vGenerally, there seems to be a similarity between this two age, but looking at the small details and the literature suggests that the basic roots and central ideas of the two are quite different. Literature of any period gives clear idea about the age and historical background of any age. First, let's look at the general characterizations of Romanticism and Renaissance & later on literary characteristics to have clear idea about both the ages.

General characteristics
Renaissance period	Romantic period
interest in the classical thought of the Greeks and Romans.	Individuality/Democracy/Personal Freedom
The embracing of Humanism	Spiritual/Supernatural Elements
The commercial revolution	Nature as a Teacher
particular in its preoccupation with religion and the place of man in relationship with God.	Interest in Past History/Ancient Greek and Roman Elements
Age of Classicism	Celebration of the Simple Life /the Rustic/Pastoral Life
Classic & stunning across the world	Interest in Folk Traditions Use of Common Language/ Common Subjects
	One Sided/Opinionated
	Frequent Use of Personification
	Examination of the Poet's Inner Feelings
Literary characteristics
Renaissance period	Romantic period
Enthusiasm	Romantic enthusiasm
An Age of Drama	An Age of poetry
Religious Tolerance	Woman as Novelist
Social Contentment	The Modern Magazines
Major English Renaissance authors Christopher Marlowe William Shakespeare John Donne Francis Bacon George Chapman Edmund Spenser William Tyndale	Major English romantic writers William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge John Keats Lord Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley

From the table above it can be said that,during the renaissance arts and other cultural systems were flourished was still largely reasonable while romanticism focused more on emotions, intution and a wild, ferel relationship with the natural world. Thus, both took place because of changing desire to  a new way of thinking yet they were caused by different arrangement of various events.



Reference:
ENGLISH LITERATURE
William J. Long

Aristotle: Poetics

Thinking Activity 1.

Hello Friends,

As we know, poetics is very important to study the literature as reading of literature is not enough. There are two significant poetics which helps in studying literature and we speak the word 'study' is itself has much deeper meaning. These two poetics are Western Poetics and Indian Poetics. Here we will discuss Aristotle's poetics and Plato's objection. 

Worthy to note,

'Aristotle's Poetics seek  to address the different kinds of poetry, the structure of a poem and the division of a poem into its components parts.'

This blog is response to this thinking activity:

https://dilipbarad.blogspot.com/2015/08/worksheet-aristotles-poetics-short.html?

1.How far do you agree with Plato’s objection to freedom of expression and artistic liberty enjoyed by creative writers? Name the texts (novels, plays, poems, movies, TV soaps etc which can be rightfully objected and banned with reference to Plato’s objections)

The Dirty Picture

Director: Milan Luthria

Written by: Rajat Arorra

We have to find out that what is the exact problem.  Here, I am taking the example of movie directed by Milan Luthria and written by Rajat Arora. For this movie, as per Plato's objection we can say that freedom of expression and artistic liberty is enjoyed by writers but we can not say that they are enjoying this freedom or liberty as we know that if it is in life, then and then it is in literature. It discovers the realities which is coverd-up by our so-called society.

This movie shows some scenes and dialogues and at the time when movie was released there was much controversy for banning this. But we should stop writers or directors that one can not write or show some things in such a way.

How can we decide any moral concern about particular thinking?

This is exist in our society, near us, then even we are ignoring it, as a part of society.

If morality, philosophical concern or academic value naturally comes than its ok, but it is not compulsory for writer that he should give moral concern through this and in this context writer uses artistic liberty and freedom. We can not say that character of Silk in this movie is bad portrayal because its not all about entertainment or pleasure. It is reflecting the society. As she had was her endowed body, her in-your-sexuality, her seductive moves and her rock hard confidence to carry her through a world that was more than willing to exploit a line woman , seeking sustenance in a man's world. Here is an endearing quality attempts to shock and awe a staid society that thrives on the fake.

2.With reference to the literary texts you have studied during B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which followed Aristotelian literary tradition (i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc)

According to Aristotle,

"Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in the language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation-catharsis of these and similar emotions.”

Eligible subjects for tragic heroes according to Aristotle as much as royalities and proceeds with his individualism and applies it to character. We can find this type of subject for tragic hero in Miller's All my sons. May be it can be seen as classical tragedy or Greek tragedy because this play's tragic hero suffers from hubris, his wish of being high industrialist and in his this excessive pride he makes a mistake which leads him to his tragic death. His committing sucide can not be considered as accidents.

Catharsis: When Chris left his house and also left his father we feel pity for his father Joe.

Miller believed that...

“the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were” (Miller,1998).

3.With reference to the literary texts you have studies during B.A. programme, write brief note on the texts which did NOT follow Aristotelian literary tradition. (i.e. his concept of tragedy, catharsis, tragic hero with hamartia etc.)

I have studied the tragedy Othello written by William Shakespeare in my B.A. praogramme.

Othello's concept of tragedy

Its Shakespearian tragedy. Shakespeare breaks traditional rules and norms of ancient Greek-Aristotle's concept of tragedy. Shakespeare takes more liberty in showing action and to portrate tragic hero. In Shakesperian tragedy, though he follows, doesn't much care about three unities and shows tragic or death scene of protagonist also on the stage.

Tragic hero & his hamartia

Othello is the tragic hero of the play 'Othello'. His extreme jealousy and suspection towards his wife leads him to his tragic end.

Catharsis

When Othello realizes that only because of his his extreme jealousy he has acted without thinking and has killed his innocent beloved-Desdimona, we feel more pity towards him rather than hatred.

4.Have you studied any tragedies during B.A. programme? Who was/were the tragic protagonist/s in those tragedies? What was their ‘hamartia’?

I have studied the tragedy Othello written by William Shakespeare.

Tragic Protagonist: Othello

Hamartia: Othello's Hamartia is his extreme jealousy. Only his anger, jealosy and false suspection leads him to his tragic end. His jealosy and false suspection leads him to his tragic end.

5.Did the ‘Plot’ of those tragedies follow necessary rules and regulations proposed by Aristotle? (Like chain of cause and effect, principle of probability and necessity, harmonious arrangement of incidents, complete, certain magnitude, unity of action etc)

I have studied Othello, Hairy Ape, Ghashiram Kotwal, Tughlaq, All my Sons during my B.A. We can find chain of cause and effect, harmoneous arrangement of incidents certain magnitude but we can not find unity of action in Shakespeare's Othello. Though Shakespeare doesn't take much care for unity of action it is placed among the best tragedies.

Thank you.

Movie review ARTICLE 15

Article 15

"How many roads must a man walk down / Before you can call him a man? / 

How many seas must a white dove sail, / 

Before she sleeps in the sand?" 

-Bob Dylan

Article-15 is a socio-political movie by Anhubhav Sinha.The movie tells a story based in reality, and builds on the 2014 Badaun rape case, in which two teenage women were murdered in Uttar Pradesh. The women were from the Dalit caste, seen as the lowest on the ladder. The police say the women, who were hanged in public, were not raped, however the families to this day insist that they were. How system is itself corrupted is well portrayed by Anubhav sinha. Protagonist (Ayan Ranjan), Ayushmann Khurrana's role is worth admirable. Nishad(Zeeshan Ayyub) and Gaura(Sayani Gupta) plays a chief role as fighters among this corrupt and powerful discriminate system.

Our 'Indian Constitution, Article 15' gives 'Right to equality'. But in the words of George Orwell,  "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." Our Indian constitution gives equality to all citizens but question is that, Is all citizens are treated equally? Discrimination on the name of cast, class, gender or race is a crime though we find it even today not only in some backward areas but also around us , so-called 'civilized or high-civilized society'. Now-a-days we do not ask someone's cast directly, but we ask their full name! Many time I have observed even in academic competition that I was asked about my full name, I don't know how and why it matters!

This movie discovers societal issues especially about girls & caste discrimination issues. Anubhav Sinha reflects this through this movie in this so-called  (21st)modern century, two girls are raped only for their demand for increasing daywage 25₹ to 28₹ and because of their strike. They are not only raped but also hanged out to the tree to show their cast's status of minor or take down a peg.

In the movie, one of the most notable scene(satire) is that a police take care about a dog outside the police-station and regularly feeds biscuits to dog but doesn't care about other caste's people or has no value of them as animals also.

This film is political and social satire. Anubhav Sinha raises the question through this movie that 'Right to equality is only framed in our Constitution. Not even a single dialogue or background music of this movie is worthless. Through the ages common man is struggling for their common rights in society and no one knows, how far still needs to struggle!

People don't want to destroy their illusion or rather we can say they don't want to come across the reality and truth of their life but they have a fond of reading a life as a form of story.


Just think a once:

We believe that it happens only in some of the particular areas but just see around us and our community. Do we allow them to live near by us or next to us? Though it seems it is abolished or we have talked as it is abolished but everything happens surrounding us and most of us believe that  it is not problematic that is the biggest problem of our society.

Talk on Ecological Sensibility

Talk on Ecological Sensibility

Today we have leacture on Ecological sensibility by Dr.Bharatsinh Gohil, Head of the Life Science departmemt,MKBU. Entire session  was about secrets of Ecology.   As we know that, all elements are equal and have their own importance including Homo sapiens (scientific name of human beings). We have to keep in mind that we-humans are not only living in this earth but millions of other animals, birds and insects etc.

Here I remember Umashankar Joshi's line that....
"વિશાળે જગ વિસ્તારે નથી એક જ માનવી,
પશુ છે, પંખી છે, પુષ્પો,વનો, ને છે વનસ્પતિ."

#What is Ecological Sensibility ?
1.ENVIRONMENTAL SENSIBILITY ANDECOLOGICAL THINKING. ... The globalecological crisis is known as the manifestation of a vaster crisis, that of a cognitive and social nature or, an ecologyof the mind, that occurred well before that of the environment.
2.Sensibility is closely attached to the hormons and mind.

Bharat sir also discussed about close  relation of  music and environment.

Nature itself has way of communication, it has too its own rhythms and distich, gentisein. 
Birds and other insects are environmental indicaters too.If ecolog Learn ical cycle breaks, we can not survive more as at the end, one or another way each and everything is in the cycle. Hence, we need to protect them and untill we don't love them we can't protect them. Learn it, love it and live it and this lead us to protection. 1st week of October is also celebrated as "wildlife week".

 We also discussed about various scantury of different kinds of animals and birds and mostly about the KING OF JUNGLE and interestingly discussed about the Dhruv Bhatt's novel "Akupar".

To sum up, we put here that we should not go through evaluation but adaption.