Thinking Activity- Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy

This blog is written in response to the Thinking Activity given on Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy by Dilip Barad Sir at the Department of English, MKBU.

John Dryden

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.

Essay of Dramatic Poesy

Essay of Dramatic Poesy is a work by John Dryden, England's first Poet Laureate, in which Dryden attempts to justify drama as a legitimate form of "poetry" comparable to the epic, as well as defend English drama against that of the ancients and the French.

Definition of Tragedy

Aristotle

    According to Aristotle Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is a 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; though pity and fear affecting the proper purgation- catharsis of these and similar emotions.

   By understanding this definition it is clear that tragedy is an imitation of life, that means it represents some fragments of life in a realistic way.

    The most important part of the play is action and it contains several things like speech,dialogue, soliloquies. The other thing that represents or intended is pity and fear and it's very important according Aristotle. In the last catharsis, that releases emotions from the body that is also an important part in the tragedy.

      According to Aristotle the characteristics of the tragedy are,

1) The spectacle (Opsis)

2)  Melody/ songs (Melos)

3)  Diction (Lexis)

4)  Character (Othes)

5)  Thought (Dianoia)

Dryden’s definition of Play

      According to Dryden the Play is “ just and lively image of human nature, representing passion and humor, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind.”

The definition first emphasizes the word ‘just’ and then on word ‘lively’, so according to dryden the play should be a serious and realistic representation of human life and not the melodramatic version of it.   

David Daiches says on this definition that,  Human nature implies that drama or imaginative literature in general, shows people acting in such a way as to reveal what they are like. He describes ‘lively’ as an interesting antithesis to dull.

Comparing both definition of Aristotle’s Tragedy and Dryden’s Play

        Although Dryden is taking an influence from Aristotle’s definition of tragedy and makes of his own. How he carried over the tradition. Dryden used the words ‘Just and Lively’ image, which means real life. When real life is presented in play one must be involved in the play then. The catharsis comes which is the last part of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy.

        In Aristotle ’s definition the line, ‘Tragedy, then is an imitation of an action’. Which says that tragedy is an imitation not an actual so it is copied. Where there is in Dryden' s definition. The line says ‘just and lively image’ here ‘just’ means exact. As it is real so the image is in mind but the way matters how you use it to give it a form of visual to others. So it becomes the natural way.

        At last in Aristotle’s definition, he says, ‘Though pity and fear affect the proper purgation- catharsis of these and similar emotions.’ Dryden at the end of his definition says, ‘For the delight and instruction of mankind.’

        Both are connected when at the end the purgation or catharsis happens in mankind there will be delighted in one’s heart.

Characteristics

        The most important characteristics are Unity of time, place and action. Aristotle supports these three unities in his tragedy but Dryden breaks these unities. He says life is reality and when in play we are depicting the reality of life so there is no unity. life is free itself. So while describing the liveliness of life we are supposed to depict life and its incidents as it is.

Blank Verses and Rhyming

        Dryden uses rhyme verses in his play. His most powerful characteristic is that some ancient says, to depict drama in rhyme it is that the writer tries to be unnatural while he is taking support of something, a huge characteristic ‘rhyming verse’. While we can say, it is not an unnatural process, we say that the tragedy or play should have compromised seriousness so  the writer is using rhyme or heroic couplet to make the readers or audience aware of actions.  And when both definitions agree with delight, Dryden uses rhyme verse in his play to delight the audience. Because the listening aspect is also important in play.

  Use of rhyming verse is a natural process, there is also an argument but Dryden defends in this play, Aristotelian tragedy’s most important characteristics is play should be serious while making a serious play Dryden believes to make his speech effective and he does it with using rhymes in his play. Aristotle also says that play should have the ornaments in its language like figure of speech, witness so Dryden does it with the help of rhyming verse.

Tragedy and mixture of Tragedy and Comedy

        Aristotle emphasises that tragedy should be only tragedy. It should not have any other emotions except tragic emotion. It describes the misery of life. At the end the tragedy should happen. Aristotle is possessive about the characteristics. He follows traditions. He does not mingle both expressions or emotions of tragedy and comedy. Dryden breaks these rules of play, depicting both expressions of happiness and tragedy in his play. In some incidents the tragedy by Dryden has the element of happiness as the incidents require it and at the serious point it has a tragic effect in its speech, action. Dryden wants to say that there is no one emotion in our life while we make play real we have to be true to life as life has different emotions. It does not walk on only one way, it has many paths. So characters of Dryden ’s play sometimes flourished with happiness and at the serious position they do just with the situation.

        Aristotle follows traditions so its characters are of upper class or kings or queens but this rule is not followed by Dryden . Aristotle says while the protagonist is from the upper level and enjoying dignity and the tragedy happens it shows that the protagonist is thrown away from the up to the bottom and how the destruction of the protagonist happens and the tragedy happens.

         But Dryden does not accept this rule of tragedy; he depicts a normal man   or any protagonist in his play. While we are depicting the reality of life through play, the protagonist must be from middle class or lower class. The destruction of these characters happen

       

Thinking Activity- Charles Dickens's 'Hard Times'

This blog is written in response to the Thinking Activity on Charles Dickens's Novel 'Hard Times' by Dilip Barad Sir at the Department of English, MKBU.

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.

In his literary career he has written fifteen novels, five novellas and lots of other stories.

Some of his best works are,

‘A Christmas Carol’

‘Bleak House’

‘Oliver Twist’

‘Great Expectations’

‘Hard Times’

‘A Tale of Two Cities’

‘The Pickwick Papers’

‘Hard Times for these times’

Hard Times: For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in 1854. The book surveys English society and satirises the social and economic conditions of the era. Unlike other novels of Dickens, it is shorter and has no illustration and also its set in a fictional town named ‘Cocktown’.

Review of the Hindi play based on 'Hard Times'

The Hindi Play "Hard Times" is  a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's  novel “Hard TImes for These TImes'' performed by Khilona Theater for Children.

The Hindi adaptation of the novel completely follows the story of the novel but it is a musical play! The music and song makes it more interesting to see the play because the story it's dealing with is about industrialism and that's why it provides the touch of artificiality. So the new element of music in the play makes it less artificial and more entertaining

The characters and names of them are the same as in the novel and their representation is also very accurate. The dialogues are mostly the same as in novel conversation but the translation and modification of it is very brilliant. The way actors speak the dialogues are mostly as how mostly hindi indian people speak and that's why it makes the play relatable to the hindi speaking audiences. 

The great thing is that the play is an adaptation of the novel ‘Hard Times’ because its subject of industrialization and dehumanisation of society is something that is highly relatable to contemporary time.

The two narrators of the play provide an interesting outline to the audience and connect the audience with the story of the hard times. The presentation of various events in the play like the father of sissy leaves her and other things are demonstrated very brilliantly. 

You can watch this Hindi play adaptation of the novel 'Hard Times' on YouTube.

 The theme of 'Utilitarianism'  in the Novel 'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens

Utilitarianism is a tradition of ethical philosophy that is associated with Jeremy Bentham (1747-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), two late 18th- and 19th-century British philosophers, economists, and political thinkers. Utilitarianism holds that an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce sadness, or the reverse of happiness.

Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm. When directed toward making social, economic, or political decisions, a utilitarian philosophy would aim for the betterment of society as a whole.

Utilitarianism would say that an action is right if it results in the happiness of the greatest number of people in a society or a group.

Utilitarianism in Dickens's 'Hard Times'

 Dickens provides three vivid examples of this utilitarian logic in Hard Times. The first; Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, one of the main characters in the book, was the principal of a school in Coketown.

He was a firm believer in utilitarianism and instilled this philosophy into the students at the school from a very young age, as well as his own children. Mr. Josiah Bounderby was also a practitioner of utilitarianism but was more interested in the profit that stemmed from it. 

Thomas Gradgrind Sr., a father of five children, has lived his life by the book and never strayed from his philosophy that life is nothing more than facts and statistics. He has successfully incorporated this belief into the school system of Coketown and has tried his best to do so with his own children.

 Gradgrind's two oldest children, Tom and Louisa, are examples of how this utilitarian method failed miserably.

These children were never given the opportunity to think for themselves, experience fun things in life, or even use their imaginations. True, they are smart people in the factual sense but do not have the street smarts to survive. Tom is a young man who, so fed up with his father’s strictness and repetition, revolts against him and leaves home to work in Mr. Bounderby’s bank.Eventually, to get out of a deep gambling debt, he robs a bank and is forced to flee the area.

Louisa, unlike Tom, does get along with her father. She even agrees to marry Mr. Bounderby, even though she does not love him, in order to please her father. She stays in the marriage with Bounderby and goes about life normally and factually until she is faced with a dilemma and panics. Her father never gave her the opportunity to think for herself, or even love someone. This is why Louisa goes frantic and ends up crying in her father’s lap. She has always been told what to do and what is ‘right’, and now even her father is stumped. For the first time in the whole novel, Mr. Gradgrind strays from the utilitarian philosophy and shows compassion for his daughter and her feelings.

Josiah Bounderby is another prime example of utilitarianism. He is one of the wealthiest people in Coketown; owning a bank and a factory, but is not really a likable person. His utilitarian philosophy is similar to Gradgrinds in the sense that factuality is the single most important virtue that one could possess.

Mr. Bounderby maintained throughout the story his utilitarian views, which basically stated that nothing else is important besides profit. Being the owner of both a factory and a bank, Bounderby employs many workers, yet seems to offer them no respect at all. He refers to the factory workers as “Hands,” because that is all they are to him.

 

Thinking Activity- 'Absalom and Achitoplel'

This blog is written in response to the thinking activity on 'Absalom and Achitophel' given by Dilip Barad sir at the Department of English, MKBU

Thinking Activity- 'Absalom and Achitoplel'

John Dryden

John Dryden was born on 9 August 1631 at  Aldwincle, United Kingdom. He was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.

Dryden’s ‘Absalom and Achitophel’

John Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel” was first published in 1681, in direct response to a political crisis faced by King Charles II from 1679 to 1681. In what became known as the “Exclusion Crisis,” the king’s opponents in Parliament tried to exclude Charles’s brother James from the succession on the grounds that he was a Roman Catholic. “Absalom and Achitophel” is a satiric narrative poem in which Dryden uses a biblical allegory to discuss the events and main personalities involved in this crisis. The poem mocks the King’s opponents and openly reveals Dryden’s staunchly royalist sympathies. The poem is also notable for featuring one of Dryden’s literary trademarks: the “heroic couplet.” “Absalom and Achitophel” is one of Dryden’s major poetic works, displaying both the characteristic elements of his style and his political and religious sympathies at that time.

Characters of the poem ‘Absalom and Achitophel’

In the poem Absalom and Achitophel have so many characters. All the characters are from the biblical story of David but also allegorically represents the people who supported and rebelled against Charles 2nd.Those are divided in two groups. First group in which are the characters who supported the king David and in the other group are the characters who sided with Achitophel and Absalom.

Characters who supported King David

David

David was the  third king of Israel. He did not have a male heir so his throne was going to be inherited by his brother. David had many mistresses and through them had many illegitimate sons. From all of them he liked Absolam the most and the people of Israel also loved him and heralded him as the national hero. One of  David’s counsellors from court, Achitophel, begins to stir up resentment for David and encourages Absalom to rise up against his father so that David's brother will not ascend the throne. Both Absalom and Achitophel confuse David’s mild nature for weakness, David loses his  patience he is forced to exert his God-given power over the people of Israel and remind Absalom, Achitophel, and the people that he can strike them all down if he chooses. Dryden here represents David as Allegory to King Charles 2nd, and convinces that as David, King Charles also had Divine Right from God. Dryden argues that Charles has a divine right to the throne, which Charles’s son, the Duke of Monmouth tried to usurp in Dryden’s time, here he implies that Charles has been chosen by God to be the king of England, and that right cannot be appropriated by Parliament or the people.

David’s Brother

 He is the heir to the throne of Israel, after the death of David. He is not in the poem actively but Absalom and Achitophel mention him  in some passage. Achitophel hates David’s brother, and Absalom claims that David’s brother is “oppressed with vulgar spite.” David’s brother represents James II, the brother of King Charles II and the next heir to the throne of England. James was a Roman Catholic, and the Exclusion Bill before Parliament in Dryden’s time sought to exclude James from the throne.

The Pharaoh

The leader of Egypt and David’s ally. Like many of the Jews, however, the Pharaoh only pretends to be friendly with David but is really just looking for ways to exploit him and the Jews. In Dryden’s poem, the Pharaoh represents Louis XIV of France. Louis XIV was Catholic, as was most of France, and the Protestants of England saw Charles II’s relationship with Louis XIV as more proof that Charles was really a Catholic like his brother James and was going to force the Protestants to conform to the Catholic religion.

Ishbosheth

Saul’s son and the king of Israel briefly before David’s reign. Dryden mentions Ishbosheth’s short reign before David comes out of exile, but the finicky Jews don’t want Ishbosheth as their king, so they push for David. Ishbosheth represents Oliver Cromwell’s son Richard, who ruled England for a short time between Cromwell’s death and the restoration of Charles II to the throne.

Barzillai

David’s oldest and most trusted friend. Barzillai was with David when David was in exile after the death of Saul. He likely represents James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, who was likewise in exile with Charles II after the execution of Charles I. Ormond returned to England with Charles after the Restoration and was his close friend and ally.

Barzillai’s Eldest Son

The son of one of David’s trusted men, who has died and is forever mourned by the speaker of “Absalom and Achitophel.” Barzillai’s eldest son likely represents Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory. Butler was the son of the 1st Duke of Ormond, who is represented in Dryden’s Barzillai. The Earl of Ossory died in 1680, and Dryden dedicated his book of poems called Fables to him.

Jotham

One of David’s trusted men. According to the Bible, Jotham is the king of Judah and the grandson of Zadock, but in Dryden’s poem he represents George Savile, the nephew of the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, the man allegorized in the character Achitophel. Savile was a stanch supporter of Charles II, and he is credited with being instrumental in defeating the Exclusion Bill in Parliament.

Amiel

One of King David’s trusted and loyal men. Amiel is an important member of the Sanhedrin and helps to quell the uprising against David within the government. There are several Amiels in the Bible, so it is unclear which one Dryden is referring to here, but Amiel is thought to represent Edward Seymour, the speaker of the House of Commons in Parliament during Dryden’s time and a famous supporter of King Charles II and an opponent of the Exclusion Bill.

Zadoc

David's friend who carried the Ark of the Covenant into the wilderness; he was then sent back to Jerusalem for God's judgement. He represents William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury.

David's opponents or rebellions who supported Achitophel and Absalom

Absalom

Absalom is one of the illegitimate sons of David, he is loved by all the country and David sees his own reflection in him. Though David can not make him his heir. Achitophel believes that the Jews would accept Absalom as their king. Achitophel begins to encourage Absalom and herald his birth and blood as royal, and he tries to convince Absalom to rebel against David. Absalom, however, is not a malicious man, and he doesn’t initially believe he has a right to the crown, but he is eventually worn down by Achitophel’s flattery and his own growing desire for more power. Absalom metaphorically represents Charles II’s illegitimate son James Scott, the 1st Duke of Monmouth, who rebelled against Charles and the throne in Dryden’s time.

Achitophel

He is a deceitful counselor to King David and the antagonist of “Absalom and Achitophel.” Of all the men who oppose David within the government, Achitophel is the most influential. He is smart, ambitious, and morally flexible. He pretends to be David’s friend, but in actuality, he either wants to rule Israel or completely destroy it. Achitophel stokes the “malcontents” of the Jews and incites anti-Jebusite hysteria in an attempt to ruin David, and then he encourages David’s son Absalom to rebel against him. Achitophel hates David’s brother, the heir presumptive, and he wants to make sure that he never ascends the throne. Dryden’s Achitophel represents Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, a Member of Parliament during Dryden’s time and the main supporter of the Exclusion Bill. Shaftesbury was the founder of the Whig party, which sought to exclude Charles II’s brother James from the throne, and he was a major opponent of Charles throughout his reign. What comes of Achitophel is never revealed in Dryden’s poem, but historically speaking, Shaftesbury was tried for treason after encouraging Charles’s son the Duke of Monmouth, to rebel against the crown, but he was later acquitted. Through Achitophel, Dryden suggests that Charles and James both have just claims to the throne and is not for Shaftesbury, Monmouth, or Parliament to infringe on that power.

Corah

He is a priest and a trusted man of Achitophel. He lies about his rabbinical degree, and he hatches the plot that helps Achitophel discredit David’s brother and ingratiate Absalom to the people of Israel.. In the Bible, Corah leads a rebellion against Moses, and in Dryden’s poem he represents Titus Oates, the Englishman who engineered the Popish Plot. Like Corah, Oates was a Puritan priest with a dubious rabbinical degree, and members of Parliament put stock into his unbelievable conspiracy because of his perfect memory and ability to tell and retell the plot without discrepancies.

Shimei

The most powerful of Achitophel’s men. Shimei is a dishonest crook who steals and cheats the Jews every chance he gets, but the Jews appoint him as their magistrate anyway. Shimei stacks juries to punish David’s supporters and set his enemies free, and during his tenure as magistrate, treason is not a crime. Shimei is one of David’s tormentors in the Bible, and in Dryden’s poem he represents Slingsby Bethel, the sheriff of London and a member of Parliament during Dryden’s time who also supported the Exclusion Bill.

Zimri

One of Achitophel’s men whom Dryden describes as a “buffoon” who has tried several professions. In the Bible, Zimri is king of Israel for seven days, but he is no real threat to David or the throne in “Absalom and Achitophel.” Zimri likely represents George Villiers, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, an English statesman and poet who had disgraced himself in war, organised an unsuccessful plot against the government, and was accused of treason. He played an active role within the Popish Plot.

Jonas

One of Achitophel’s more powerful men who has the ability to manipulate laws. Jonas is a prophet in the Bible, but in Dryden’s poem he represents Sir William Jones, a member of Parliament who prosecuted many of the Catholics falsely accused in the Popish Plot and also supported the Exclusion Bill.

Thinking Activity- 'The Importance of Being Earnest'

This Blog is Written in response to the thinking activity on 'Importance of Being Earnest' given by Dilip Barad sir at the Department of English, MKBU.

1. Comment on ‘Earnest Fixation’ as a major theme of the play.

Introduction

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854,he was Poet, Playwright and Critic. For himself he said that,

  “I put all my genius into my life, I put only my talent into my books.”

He studied at two famous colleges, Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford. 

His famous works are,

A collection of poems (1881)

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) 

 The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890

Social Comedies,

Lady Windermere's Fan (1892)

 An Ideal Husband (1895) 

The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London.

The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a three act Play. A satire of Victorian social hypocrisy, this witty play is considered as Wilde’s greatest dramatic achievement.

Main themes of the Play

The ‘Earnest Fixation’

The Nature of Marriage

The Constraints of Morality

Hypocrisy vs. Inventiveness

Duty and Respectability

The Absence of Compassion

Secret Lives

Passion and Morality

Class Conflict

The ‘Earnest Fixation’ as major theme of the play

            Earnestness, which implies seriousness or sincerity, is the great enemy of morality in The Importance of Being Earnest. Earnestness can take many forms, including boringness, solemnity, pomposity, complacency, smugness, self-righteousness, and sense of duty, all of which Wilde saw as hallmarks of the Victorian character.

The title of the play ‘The importance of being Earnest’, emphasises on the word ‘Earnest’. That can mean Two Things, it can be the feeling of Earnestness or can be a character's name. The main character of the play Algernon and Jack both use the false identity of being ‘Earnest’ to be successful to marry the girls they love. Jack makes a sibling called Earnest to go and live in the city from the rural town and, Algenon makes up a friend named ‘Bunbury’ to go to towns and escape his aunt's high class gatherings. 

The whole play focuses on the two main couples Jack and Gwendolen, and Algenon and Cecily. Both the lady characters Gwendolen and Cecily want to marry the person called ‘Earnest’. They are fixated to the name. When Jack goes to tell Gwendolen that his name is not Earnest and is Jack, then she says that,

“Jack? No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations .”

In the play for the main characters, the safest name is ‘Earnest’. Gwendolen who seems to be in love with Jack, but she gives more importance to the senseless thing like the name ‘Earnest’. In the same way Cecily is also in love with not Algenon but the name ‘Earnest’ and creates fantasies around the name. She says in play that,

“There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest.”

Conclusion

For Wilde, the word earnest comprised two different but related ideas: the notion of false truth and the notion of false morality, or moralism. The moralism of Victorian society, its smugness and pomposity, impels Algernon and Jack to invent fictitious alter egos so as to be able to escape the strictures of propriety and decency. However, what one member of society considers decent or indecent doesn’t always reflect what decency really is. One of the play’s paradoxes is the impossibility of actually being either earnest or moral while claiming to be so.

2. "The Importance of Being Earnest" As A Comedy Of Manners.

The Importance of Being Earnest is perhaps the most one-dimensional of Oscar Wilde’s plays. It is a perfect example of what Oscar scholar Richard Pent VEND called “the comedy of manners,” meaning that it takes place in a specific social context and explores how the characters interact within it. That said, there are other layers to this play that we don’t see often in comedies of manners. There are many hidden symbols and meanings that have been debated for more than 100 years. In this article, we will take a look at some of these theories and see what they reveal about the play.

The Importance of Being Earnest: A Comedy of Manners

If you were to ask 10 different people what this play is about, you would likely get 10 different answers. This is because the play itself is full of satire and symbolism, and these elements will mean something different to each reader. This is what makes The Importance of Being Earnest a classic comedy of manners. It takes place in a specific social setting and explores how people interact within that setting. This social context is Victorian society and its standards of propriety.

The Importance of Being Earnest and Victorian Society

As a comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest is set in the late 19th century, just as the Victorian era was coming to a close. The Victorian era is often summarized as the era of civility, where everyone was polite to a fault and kept emotions in check. This was the age of the stiff upper lip. This was a time of great exploration, especially in the sciences. It was a time of great growth and change, but also a time of great conservatism and tradition. This is indicative of the two sets of characters in The Importance of Being Earnest: the “modern” characters, who are more interested in logic, reason, and progress (the “New” cynics like Jack and Algernon), and the more traditional characters, who tend to cling to their old-fashioned way of doing things (the “old” cynics like Miss Prism and Lady Bracknell).

Symbolism in The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest is filled with symbols that have been debated for over 100 years. Some of them are obvious, but most are hidden. They are meant to add another layer to the play and make it more textured and thought-provoking. These symbols are often used to critique Victorian society. Oscar Wilde also uses these symbols to add humour and to make the play more accessible to a wider audience. Some of these symbols include:

- Diary of Cecily

- The cucumber sandwich 

 - The flowers - Lilies, roses, and the sunflower.

 - The colour green - The colour of envy, jealously and unfulfilled desires.

 - The colour pink - The colour of impersonal love. - The colour white - The colour of an innocent virgin and the colour of death.

 - The doubles and misunderstanding of names. - The names: “Earnest”, “Worthing”, “Cecily”, “Miss Prism”, and “Lady Bracknell”.

 - The pictures.

Conclusion

The Importance of Being Earnest is perhaps the most one-dimensional of Oscar Wilde’s plays. It is a perfect example of what Oscar scholar Richard Pent Vend called “the comedy of manners,” meaning that it takes place in a specific social context and explores how the characters interact within it. That said, there are other layers to this play that we don’t see often in comedies of manners. There are many hidden symbols and meanings that have been debated for more than 100 years. In this article, we will take a look at some of these theories and see what they reveal about the play. - If you are going to read one play by Oscar Wilde, choose The Importance of Being Earnest. It is a great introduction to his work and will show you the many different layers that can be found in his comedies of manners. 

Thinking Activity- Puritan and Restoration Age of Literature

This Blog is written in response to the Thinking Activity on The Puritan and The Restoration Period of Literature given by Dilip Barad sir at the Department of English, MKBU 

The Puritan and Restoration Age of English Literature

The Puritan and Restoration Age of English literature is the name given to a period in the history of English literature that begins around 1600 and ends in 1700. These two literary eras are often referred to as the third stage of the Renaissance. It was an exciting time for writers, poets, dramatists, essayists, and others interested in producing works of literature.

The Puritan Age of English Literature

 The Puritan age began with the execution of King James I’s favorite advisor in 1619 and ended with his successor’s ascent to the throne in 1660.The Puritan age was a period of great intellectual vigor and religious zeal. The leaders of this movement became known as Puritans because they sought to “purify” Church practices and beliefs from what they considered to be unscriptural or idolatrous elements. Their focus was on personal piety, Bible study, reading, meditation, self-examination, repentance from sin, mortification of fleshly appetites such as pride and envy, confession of faith before fellow believers -- all things so foreign to our modern tastes that even their name sounds odd today!

There are three main characteristics in Puritan literature:

 (1) Division in every aspects:

In the Previous age of Queen Elizabeth, she maintained public order and united various divisions of religion and society and all acted united. However in the time of the Puritan Period The kings were the enemies of the people, the monarchy was cruel. People were struggling for religious and political liberty. The literature was also divided by the spirit and the support of various political groups.  

(2) Lost youthfulness and was gloomy

The previous age of Elizabethan was inspiring and was filled with youth and hope and vitality, but the Puritan age was full of sadness and gloom, the old standards started to fade and it was full of pessimism.

(3) Lack of romantic aspect and artificiality

 Puritan literature lacked the romantic aspects of Elizabethan literature. Even the lyrics and love poems did not come as utterances of a heart, rather it became somewhat artificial.

Major Writers and Influential Books from the Puritan Era

The Puritan Era of English Literature produced many authors and works that are still read today. John Bunyan wrote one of the most famous works of English literature, 'The Pilgrim’s Progress', in the latter half of this period. The author of this allegory about a Christian’s journey through life was imprisoned for 10 years for preaching without a license. John Milton, one of England’s greatest poets, wrote 'Paradise Lost' and 'Paradise Regained', Samson Agonistes, and other important works in this era. Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist, wrote about his life in London in the late 1660s and early 1670s in a series of brilliant and lively entries. In this period, Thomas Hobbes wrote a famous treatise on government and society, 'Leviathan', and Sir Isaac Newton published his discoveries in mathematics and physics.

The Restoration Age of English Literature

 The Restoration age began when England’s new king restored Anglican services and ended with his death (and final restoration) in 1685. The Restoration Age of English Literature is named for the Restoration of the monarchy and the Church of England, after a civil war and Interregnum in the mid-17th century. It is often considered to represent a shift from the "Puritan Age" or "Age of Puritanism" in England. The Restoration was a time of economic and cultural growth for the English-speaking world. The Great Plague of London has long been credited as marking the end of the gloomy isolationism of the Puritan era and beginning of the more optimistic Restoration era, when England again became a major sea power, and literature once again became a major art form.

Literary characteristic restoration age

French influence

The restrictions of Puritan were gone from England and With the restoration of Charles 2nd came the influence of French literature. The poetry and Drama were highly influenced by French literature. However, the drama of the age was not the same as the renaissance.

New tendency

Dryden the great writer of the age drew the outline for new formation of literature and other writers followed him. There were two new tendency that came up in this period that were

Realism and formalism

Realism

 In realism was the representation of men as exactly as they are. They described vices rather than morels and virtues. They only explored the outlook of men and society and not the inner self.

Formalism

In the Elizabethan and Puritan period writers used the laud Latin and allusion language, but the restoration writer opposed form that and they reduced the unnecessary words and used clear-cut language. They emphasize reasoning more than romanticism.

Heroic couplet

In the restoration period Walter first used the heroic couplet, the two line of iambic pentameter that rhyme together. Then Walter and Dryden used it frequently and it became a fashion of that time in literature.

Major Writers and Influential Books from the Restoration Era

The Restoration Era of English Literature produced many well-known authors and works. Restoration literature is characterized by its elegance, wit, and sophistication. Restoration playwrights produced a number of comedies and tragedies that are still performed today. Some of the most famous comic dramatists of this period were John Dryden, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and Aphra Behn. . Jonathan Swift, an Anglican priest and satirist, wrote 'Gulliver’s Travels' in this era. In the Restoration era, Edward Gibbon published 'The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire', and Sir Isaac Newton published his major discoveries.

Thinking Activity- Movie Review of 'Life of Pi'

 This Blog is written in response to the thinking Activity given by Yesha Ma'am at the Department of English, MKBU.

Movie- Life of Pi

Life of Pi is a 2012 adventure-drama film that is directed and produced by Ang Lee and Written by David Magee.

The movie Life of Pi focuses on the character of Pi, the full name was Piscine Patel from inspiration of the Russian swimming pool , but changes his name to Pi.

Movie focuses on him from his Childhood as he was a curious child and started exploring different religions and believing in them. His father, a zoo keeper, was a strict person who did not believe in god and his mother who was a faithful believer of Hinduism. However his faith is put in question when his family sinks in the ocean (his mother, father and brother dies in it) with a large ship and Pi survives with some Zoo animals. 

Pi survives through a life boat along with a hyena, a zebra and the orangutan named Orange Juice. Hyena kills zebra and then Orange Juice and then tries to attack Pi but becomes the prey of the Tiger, Recherd Parker that was hidden by seasickness under the curtain of the lifeboat. 

Pi was familiar with Reherd Parker and also knew his Wildness Tries to protect himself from him and also survives the sea by some things that he finds form lifeboats like manual, flare gun, and cans of supplies and other things that helps him to survive.

 He learns to control the tiger and instructs him. They find an island, with lots of Meerkats and roots, the water of the island was also drinkable but Pi later discovers that the island is carnivorous and they collect supplies form the island and leave it as soon as they can. 

They survive the ocean and reach the Mexican shore. Richard Parker leaves Pi behind and goes into the woods without the gesture of anything and the native takes Pi to Hospital. 

Later, when ship company men come, Pi tells them a different story because they don't believe him. He told them the story where he replaces zebra to a Buddhist person and Hyena to the Cook of Ship and Orangutan to his mother and Himself as The Tiger.

My views on the movie

The movie Life of Pi is a great movie with its cinematography and the VFX that is the highlight of the movie. The story and the symbolism used in it is also very good. It's a good adventure movie along with the representation of allegorical references of god and religion and faith. The end of the story and the narrative of the second story that Pi tells to officers of Ship company gives an idea of an original survival story that could have been presented by the makers but the motives of makers were to demonstrate the faith in god and religion and spirituality that the movie delivers pretty  well.

Which story is more Appealing

The second Story that is told to officers of the Ship company is more Appealing than the movie's whole story that we see. It is possible that you have animals as companions for survival because of the zoo animals loaded on the ship, but it's a rare case. If you want a more real approach than its second story that provides it. It's not pessimism or lack of faith but that's how reality works and there are no coincidences.

Significance of The Tiger

Tiger comes in the scene when Pi needs Hope and Inspiration and it also gives him that. It also makes him busy and diverted from the tension of survival and Pi also learns that and accepts the situation. He learns to control him and wants to prove that Animals also have souls and they have emotions. His father said to him when he was young that when they look in the eyes of animals there is the reflection of their own emotions. The tiger can never be his friend, and it seems that Pi’s father was right and learning to control the tiger was to protect himself from it and they can never be friends.

Significance of the island.

The island comes when Pi starts to lose his faith in god and is losing hope of survival. Island full of Meerkats is a place where Pi finds food and water. But that was not the end, Pi realized that it was a carnivorous island and left it. The island provides buster to his hope and belief in god however the discovery of its danger realises that it was not the end his must move further and reach the end of his journey.

What is the difference between spirituality and religion and what is the significance of doubt in it.

In my thoughts Religion is what we come across as we grow up and learn about our family's religion, their beliefs and about god and other things. While spirituality is what we gain from deep thought and meditation and the learning of everything.

The doubt in it is the main thing to make sure of the belief and religion's strength. If you don't have doubt and just believe everything with blind eyes then your belief becomes a lie, the person who does that becomes a fool. Only true faith comes from proper knowledge and that comes from doubt. If you don't doubt your faith then you gain nothing. 

The movie's main character’s faith is put in doubt when he is in sea and after surviving the sea and his journey makes him more faithful to his beliefs.