I. A. Richards : Figurative Language

          I.A Richards, Who’s full name was Ivor Armstrong Richards, who was one of the most influential figure among the critics of the 20th Century. He was born on February 26, 1893, Sandbank, Cheshire, England and also died on September 7, 1979, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, lived very long time and did also very notable things in the history of English Criticism. He was an English critic and poet.

       I.A Richards is remembered today for his notable works as enlisted below:

1. The Meaning of Meaning- 1923
2. The Practical of Criticism – 1929
3. The Principles of Literary criticism-1924

केदार नाथ सिंह की एक बेहतरीन कविता- विद्रोह

आज घर में घुसा

तो वहां अजब दृश्य था
सुनिये- मेरे बिस्तर ने कहा-

यह रहा मेरा इस्तीफ़ा
मैं अपने कपास के भीतर
वापस जाना चाहता हूं
उधर कुर्सी और मेज़ का
एक संयुक्त मोर्चा था
दोनों तड़पकर बोले-
जी- अब बहुत हो चुका
आपको सहते-सहते
हमें बेतरह याद आ रहे हैं
हमारे पेड़
और उनके भीतर का वह
ज़िंदा द्रव
जिसकी हत्या कर दी है
आपने
उधर आलमारी में बंद
किताबें चिल्ला रही थीं
खोल दो-हमें खोल दो
हम जाना चाहती हैं अपने
बांस के जंगल
और मिलना चाहती हैं
अपने बिच्छुओं के डंक
और सांपों के चुंबन से
पर सबसे अधिक नाराज़ थी
वह शॉल
जिसे अभी कुछ दिन पहले कुल्लू से ख़रीद लाया था
बोली- साहब!
आप तो बड़े साहब निकले
मेरा दुम्बा भेड़ा मुझे कब से
पुकार रहा है
और आप हैं कि अपनी देह
की क़ैद में
लपेटे हुए हैं मुझे
उधर टी.वी. और फोन का
बुरा हाल था
ज़ोर-ज़ोर से कुछ कह रहे थे
वे
पर उनकी भाषा
मेरी समझ से परे थी
-कि तभी
नल से टपकता पानी तड़पा-
अब तो हद हो गई साहब!
अगर सुन सकें तो सुन
लीजिए
इन बूंदों की आवाज़-
कि अब हम
यानी आपके सारे के सारे
क़ैदी
आदमी की जेल से
मुक्त होना चाहते हैं
अब जा कहां रहे हैं-
मेरा दरवाज़ा कड़का
जब मैं बाहर निकल रहा था.

In the first stanza of the poem the ‘Bistar’ (Bed) is giving his resignation to the poet and wants return to cotton again, now  Bed is not an Employee that he is giving his resignation. And it is not possible for Bed to turn into cotton again.

In the second stanza Table and Chair are revolting against the poet and remembering the trees from which they’ve made. How  a table and chair can revolt against man???. How can it speak??????. We have never seen table and chair speaking !!!!  table and chair have no sense, then how can they remember trees??? This is the big  mistake of the poet!!!

In the third stanza books are screaming for return to jungle. But we have never seen books screaming!!!. Books have no desire at all then how is it possible that they want to return to jungle? It is problematic that why books want kiss of snakes and painful stung of scorpion?

In the fourth stanza -     shawl  is lifeless(dead) thing, then how can it be unhappy? Shawl is listening to the voice of the lamb  but it is impossible. And how can it complain??

In the next stanza T.V. Telephone and Water speaks that they want to be free from the jail of the humans. But again how can dead things speak?? And at the same time how human being can understand their speech? Human have prepare no jail for them then which jail they are talking about? They ( t.v. phone etc) are not our prisoners at all. And why they want to free from human being?

This poem is problematic. Poet has made many serious mistakes in it. In this poem poet has shown that lifeless, dead things are speaking, complaining and desiring something but it is quite impossible. All this things cannot speak so at the same time poet also can not listen / understand their language!!!!! And all this have no meaning, no message at all. There is nothing fruitful in this poem. Poem is not giving aesthetic delight.

Gazal: chandi jaisa rang hai tera
Lyrics: Pankaj udhas

Chandi Jaisa Rang Hai Tera, Sone Jaise Baal
Ek Tu Hi Dhanwan Hai Gori, Baaki Sab Kangaal
Jis Raste Se Tu Gujre, Voh Phoolon Se Bhar Jaye
Jis Raste Se Tu Gujre, Voh Phoolon Se Bhar Jaye
Tere Pair Ki Komal Aahat Sote Bhaag Jagaye
Jo Patthar Chu Le Gori Tu Voh Heera Ban Jaye

Analysis:

In this song poet is praising the beauty of the girl he likes. He tells that her skin is like silver and her hair are like gold. The way she passes from became full of flowers and her soft footsteps can change fortune. If she touches stone it becomes the diamond.

Problem in understanding the poem:

1) No one have skin of silver and hair of gold. It sounds exaggerating.
2)  The way she passes which become full of flower it is not possible.
3) If she touches stone is converts into diamond. It is also not possible.

Poet’s intension:

Here poet praising beauty of girl he likes.he comparing her beauty with silver and gold.There is no such things in real.

Frankenstein : Thinking Activity

Q-1)  What are some major difference between movie and the novel Frankenstein?

# In the Book : Victor Frankenstein develops a secret way of artificially creating life.

# In the Movie : Victor discovers the secret to creating life after examining the deceased professor waldman's research.

# In the Book : The detail as to how victor creates the creatures body parts are left unknown.

# In the Movie : Victor uses professor waldman's brain and piece of criminals corpses to assemble the creatures body.

# In the Book : Victor mother dies from scarlet fever.

# In the Movie : Victor mother dies while giving birth .

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

yes, The novel makes us confused and movie makes its solution. The process of creating monster was very well presented by Kenneth Branagh in his film. So it is very helpful to understanding the plot of the novel.

       

              

Q-3) Who do you think is real monster?

I think real moster is victor frankestein. Because he makrs the dead one alive. And made society in danger. The main cause of the death of elizabeth and his brother is also made us to feel that real monster is victor frankenstein.

Q-4)From Where Mary Shelley get the idea for the novel Frankenstein ?

Mary Shelley was in competition with other writers such as Byron, Polidori and her own husband P.B Shelley. She decided to wrote ghost story. After thinking for days, shelly dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he made , her dream later evolved into the novel  story.

Q5- Do you think the search for the knowledge is dangerous and destructive?

   I think the search for the knowledge is dangerous because without knowing it's truthness applying may be dangerous and destructive. Mary shelly portrays the quest for the knowledge as dangerous. She believes that it leads to self destruction , whether it is minimal or severe. Shelly shows these three types of destruction in three characters : Victor Frankenstein, the monster and Robert Walton . Victor Frankenstein is a scientist whose life is ruined by his thirst for knowledge . It leads to his interest in " the secret to life " .

Q-6) What are some myths used by Mary Shelley in the Frankenstein?

1. Myth of prometheus : 

        

                 

2. Myth of narcissus : 

              

3. Myth from bible : 

  

Q-7) Write about the narratology of the Frankestein.

Frame narratives, as exemplified by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,were popularly used in nineteenth century English literature to introduce multiple characters and perspectives. The nature of the narrative in Frankenstein is inseparably linked to its structure, which combines three different narrative strands:

# Captain Walton
# Victor Frankenstein
# The monster.

T.S. Eliot : Tradition and Individual Talent

Q1- How would you like to explain Eliot's concept of tradition? Do you agree with it.

       Yes, I agree with T.S.Eliot’s concept of tradition .To be traditional in Eliot’s sense means to be conscious of the main current of art and poetry.

Q2- What do you understand by Historical sense?

        Understand by Historical sense is . Eliot, tradition has a three- four significance.
1) Tradition cannot be inherited and involves a great deal of labour and erudition
2) It involves the historical sense which involves apperception not only of the pastness of the past, but also  of its presence.
3) The historical sense enables a writer to write not only with his own generation in mind, but with a feeling that the whole of the literature from Homer down to the literature of his own country form a continuous literary tradition.

Q3- What is the relationship between Tradition and Individual talent?

        According to T.S.Eliot,tradition has the image of particular genius minds.separately they contributes in traditional journey. In his creation they always depicts or rather involves the base & the flow of present time.they mostly try to be a member of present with the involvement of the past.

Q4- Explain: " some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acuired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole museum"

    "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". In this quote Eliot explain that to be a good poet one must have the common sense. It is not necessary for a poet to read all the literary history of the past but one has to have understanding of human nature. Like the Shakespeare who is not a university student or very educated fellow, but he easily understood everything.
            
Q5- Explain: " Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon poet but upon the poetry"

          
      we can say that the second part of his essay; “Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry” it means… we enjoy, we criticize, we appreciate or hate poem. It means we cannot hate or love poet because honest criticism is depend on the poetry.

Q6- How would you like to explain Eliot's theory of Depersonalization?

         The theory of depersonalization of honest criticism and sensitive appreciations directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry. If we compare the chemical elements with abstract things from the poet's life.Explai this theory is,
So2 – Sulphur dioxide = poet’s feelings and emotions
O2 – oxygen = poet’s experience and imaginations
Platinum - = poet’s mind
H2SO4 – sulfuric acid = poetry.
Mere feelings and emotions cannot make the poem. And same like platinum poets mind does not reflect in poetry.

Q7- Explain: " Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality"

              Here in this quote poet want to say that he expresses his feelings through poetry but now it depends on readers how they takes its meaning. According to me  poet only writes because they want to escape from their sufferings sometimes it happens that his poem reveals the personalility of the poet. But in actual sense poet is aloof and escape from his personality.

Q8- Write two points on which one can write Critique on T.S Eliot as a critic.

              T.S. Eliot as a critic can be analyzed on the basis of
1)    Theory of Depersonalization.
2)    ‘Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.’

Mathew Arnold : Thinking activity

Q: 1 write about the one idea of Mathew Arnold which you find interesting and relevant in our time.

Ans :
         'A study of poetry ' is a critical essay by Mathew Arnold.  In this he criticises upon Art of poetry and Art of Criticism. He gives definition of poetry that " Poetry is the criticism of life " . It is true that poet is critic of life and after criticising the life he became a poet .  So this thing is also relevant and true that poet is critic of life .

         The idea of "Disinteresteness" was given by Mathew Arnold.This idea is right in present time.Mathew Arnold was very good poet and also good critic. Detachment is very required for critic to pass his judgment strongly and with loud voice.The method of comparative studies of different literature and also we have found in our relevant time many things idea and our life.

Q: 2.  Write about one idea of Matthew Arnold which you found out-of-date and irrelevant in our times.

Mathew Arnold believe in Touchstone method, Art for life sake,and also Truth and Seriousness of matterAnd this method is not appropriate in our times and in this method reader aware about the fallacy in judgment view of personal fallacy and historical fallacy.

Thank you...