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Explain Central Idea of “On His Blindness” by John Milton
The poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton describes the poet’s sorrow and grief over the loss of his eyesight and ultimately, in the end, his submission to God’s Will. The poem begins with the poet memorising how he served humanity by writing poetry when he had eyesight. Now that he has lost his eyRead more
The poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton describes the poet’s sorrow and grief over the loss of his eyesight and ultimately, in the end, his submission to God’s Will. The poem begins with the poet memorising how he served humanity by writing poetry when he had eyesight.
Now that he has lost his eyesight, he is unable to write poetry and thus he can neither serve humanity nor God. He fears that God will ask him about his talent on the Day of Judgement. But he soon realises that God does not need anybody’s work. He will be serving God if he bears his blindness.
He quotes the example of two types of angels who serve God. Some of them take His orders across the seas at the speed of light. However, there are some other angels as well who just stand and wait and still serving Him.
Read detailed summary of this poem.
See lesswhat does the poet think of stammer primarily in the poem Stammer?
The poet does not consider stammer as a defect. For his stammering is the very basis of language. It is the characteristic feature of human expression. Every person is unique and so is his way of speaking, understanding and interpreting words. All this helps in enriching the language. Whenever we stRead more
The poet does not consider stammer as a defect. For his stammering is the very basis of language. It is the characteristic feature of human expression. Every person is unique and so is his way of speaking, understanding and interpreting words. All this helps in enriching the language.
Whenever we stammer, we add to the God of Meanings. It is not a mistake but a sacrifice to the language. The poet is of the views that God must have stammered while creating humans. This is why we are imperfect. Hence God is also imperfect. So being imperfect is a virtue for us.
Read the summary of Stammer by K. Satchidanandan.
See lessWhat is the theme of night of the scorpion?
There are mainly two themes in the poem Night of the Scorpion. Superstition The poem reveals the superstitions that prevail in the Indian Society. A large number of people gather at poet’s house after coming to know that his mother is bitten by a scorpion. However, rather than taking her to hospitalRead more
There are mainly two themes in the poem Night of the Scorpion.
Superstition
The poem reveals the superstitions that prevail in the Indian Society. A large number of people gather at poet’s house after coming to know that his mother is bitten by a scorpion.
However, rather than taking her to hospital or curing her, they begin giving their own assumptions. Some of them say that her sins will be forgiven. Some other say that she will not suffer in after rebirth. Some other begin praying for her well-being after her death.
Motherhood
The poem also highlights the motherly love of poet’s mother. She is bitten by the scorpion and spends 24 hours in quite unbearable pain. However after recovering, she does not blame the scorpion and rather says thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children.
Read summary of Night of the Scorpion here.
See lessExplain Candida as a Domestic Play
The play "Candida" by GB Shaw is about a woman who is a loyal and obedient wife of a clergyman named Morell. The names of both the character are suggestive. Candida means frank (she is frank) and Morell depicts that he believes in and practices morality. There is no adventure or mysteries in the plaRead more
The play “Candida” by GB Shaw is about a woman who is a loyal and obedient wife of a clergyman named Morell. The names of both the character are suggestive. Candida means frank (she is frank) and Morell depicts that he believes in and practices morality.
There is no adventure or mysteries in the play. The plot is quite simple having just three scenes. Scene 1 opens in the morning, scene 2 in afternoon and final scene in the night.
Candida is thus a domestic play revolving around the “Woman question. James Morell is a man and he as well as Candida believes that the latter is dependent on the former. However, this allusion soon breaks as soon as Eugene Marchbanks enters the play. He is in love with Candida thought he is quite younger than her.
Eugene is a poet and he keeps praising Candida. Seeing her doing the domestic works, he feels pain and even taunts Morell for making her doing so and not helping her. Initially Morell does not take him and his love seriously. However he soon begins feeling insecure when recognises the fact that Candida is not dependent on her but it is he who cannot live without her.
Candida is the one who takes care of all his needs and covers his weaknesses. Finally he starts fearing that Candida will leave him and elope with Eugene. However she remains with him though she is secretly in love with Eugene who goes away in the end.
The play takes up an a domestic issue which normally is not an issue. Traditionally, a woman is considered to be the one who looks after the household and the children. She is not allowed to become independent and thus she depends on their husbands for their bread and butter.
Shaw questions this mentality of people in general and Victorian Society in particular. It must be noted that feminism emerged in Victorian Age and the play gives its glimpse.
Read the summary of Candida here.
See lessKubla Khan as a romantic poem
Kubla Khan written by ST Coleridge is all about imaginations. To explain the romantic elements in the poem, we must know that the preceding age i.e. the Neoclassical Age was considered to be the age of reason. Imaginations were replaced by reality. The Romantics totally rejected the rationality andRead more
Kubla Khan written by ST Coleridge is all about imaginations. To explain the romantic elements in the poem, we must know that the preceding age i.e. the Neoclassical Age was considered to be the age of reason. Imaginations were replaced by reality.
The Romantics totally rejected the rationality and logic in literature and particularly in poetry. They rather focused on imaginations and creativity and for that nature was the only solution. Hence they took up the maxims “Art for the art’s sake” and “Return back to nature“.
Kubla Khan as a Romantic Poem is all about the nature and its appreciation. The poem consists of four stanzas and after each stanza, the level of imaginations and creativity goes deeper and ultimately, there is the willing suspension of disbelief.
In the first stanza, the poet appreciates the man-made beauty of City of Xanadu. In the next stanza, he moves to the beauty of divine creativity. In the third stanza, he creates and artefact by combining the Creativity of Kubla Khan and that of Nature- an act of pure imaginations.
In the final stanza, he talks about “a damsel with dulcimer” who is an African. Her music is quite charming. The poet says that by combining all the creativities (in imaginations) he will drink “the milk of paradise”.
Thus the poem is full of imaginations and what the poet experiences is because of his willing suspension of disbelief.
See lessExplain Pygmalion as a Problem Play
Problem play takes up important issues of the society using the way of conversation between the characters or actors in the play before the audience. These characters express different ideas which clash with each other. These clashing ideas help the audience and the readers to understand the issue aRead more
Problem play takes up important issues of the society using the way of conversation between the characters or actors in the play before the audience. These characters express different ideas which clash with each other. These clashing ideas help the audience and the readers to understand the issue and reach a solution on their own.
In Pygmalion by GB Shaw, Professor Henry Higgins makes Cockney speaking flower girl Eliza Doolittle to master English. He succeeds in doing so within six months. Eliza succeeds in learning English and can speak it fluently. However, the rise in her standard because of her language now becomes a problem for her.
She develops the feeling of love for Professor Higgins but the latter remains cold to it. She can neither live with him nor she can go back to flower-selling business. Having no choice she has to marry Freddy, a poor and petty man.
This is what a person who is poor and uneducated feels when he suddenly becomes rich and literate. Hence it is a problem play. The playwright leaves it to the audience to decide what Eliza should have done.
See lessWhat is the message of the poem where the mind is without fear?
The poet laments the pitiful plight of the Indians and in a way unveils the state of people were now downtrodden. They were in the clutches of the cruel British rule. Tagore expresses his vision of the characteristics of a glorious country. In a way, this is his Utopia. He dwells on the theme of notRead more
The poet laments the pitiful plight of the Indians and in a way unveils the state of people were now downtrodden. They were in the clutches of the cruel British rule. Tagore expresses his vision of the characteristics of a glorious country. In a way, this is his Utopia.
He dwells on the theme of not only political freedom but also spiritual freedom, freedom of mind, speech, beliefs, practices and thought. He wants to bring forth the uselessness of blind faith and strong comments on the role of logical reasoning in the prosperity of our country.
In this poem written in pre-independence days, the poet skilfully writes about blissful heaven where people of his country will be free from prejudices and not fragmented by narrow walls.
He sketches a moving picture of the nation he would like India to be a nation within the fold of brotherhood, a nation having no apprehensions and no fear of oppression. The poem is a reflection of the poet’s utmost faith in God to whom he pleads to guide his countrymen.
Read the summary here.
See lessWhy is Romanticism Important in Literature?
Romanticism emerged as an important movement in English Literature with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth in 1798 AD. It was a direct attack on Neoclassical Age and particularly the Industrial Revolution which resulted in mass migration to urban areas. This mass migration ledRead more
Romanticism emerged as an important movement in English Literature with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth in 1798 AD. It was a direct attack on Neoclassical Age and particularly the Industrial Revolution which resulted in mass migration to urban areas.
This mass migration led to a number of problems like poverty, unemployment, low wages, diseases, deaths etc. Romanticism’s main slogans were “Return back to nature” and “Art for the art’s sake”.
The Romantic literature helped the society to appreciate the beauty of nature and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city-life.
Imagination was the primary source of literature of that time, The works like Kubla Khan by ST Coleridge, Happy Insensibility by John Keats etc are the products of pure imagination and revolve around nature and its beauty. The Romantics brought to light the suffering of the people to light through their works.
In addition the writers of the age also quested for God. Coleridge’s “willing suspension of disbelief” made to people to give up their rationality and live in the world of imaginations.
Read about:
- Features of Romantic Poetry
- Features of Romantic Prose
- Romantic Criticism
See lessDiscuss Charles Dickens as a novelist in details.
Charles Dickens is one of the significant novelist of the Victorian Age. Most of his novels were published in the newspapers and magazines in the form of series or episodes. This is why each unit of any of his novels is a complete story in itself. Being born in middle class, his novels reflect the lRead more
Charles Dickens is one of the significant novelist of the Victorian Age. Most of his novels were published in the newspapers and magazines in the form of series or episodes. This is why each unit of any of his novels is a complete story in itself. Being born in middle class, his novels reflect the life style of his society.
His novels can be categorised intro:
Following are the main features that make Charles Dickens as one of the prominent novelist of his time.
- Autobiographical Nature; Most of his novels like “Great Expectations“, “A Tale of Two Cities”, “Oliver Twist” have ample of autobiographical elements that reflect the life history of the novelist.
- Adventure: Adventure is of the primary feature of most of his novels. e.g. In Great Expectations, Pip leads an adventurous life. A number of situations arise a sense of fear, excitement and compassion among the audience and readers.
- Humour: Comic elements are present in most of his plays. His first novel Pickwick Papers is considered to be the one of the best humorous novels in English Language.
- Satire: The social novels of Charles Dickens have satirical elements. These novels depict the real picture of Victorian society and also the influence of industrial revolution.
See lessThe Express by Stephen Spender
The poem The Express by Stephen Spender is an example of new romantic poetry which is quite different from the traditional Romanticism. In the poem, rather than going back to nature (as Romantics like Wordsworth or Keats did), the poet appreciates the running of an Express Train which is the symbolRead more
The poem The Express by Stephen Spender is an example of new romantic poetry which is quite different from the traditional Romanticism. In the poem, rather than going back to nature (as Romantics like Wordsworth or Keats did), the poet appreciates the running of an Express Train which is the symbol of Industrial Revolution.
The poet begins with train’s leaving the station like a queen and moves through villages where fields, houses and graveyards surround the track. The train here is presented as joyful and happy which is again a direct attack on Romanticism which presented Industrial Revolution calling it the root cause of all the miseries.
Read the summary of the poem here.