Thinking Activity: History Puritan + Restoration Age

History of Puritan and Restoration Age

Hello Readers, I am writing down answers to some questions in this blog. Which is given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Write a blog on any one or more writers of these ages.

Puritan and Restoration Ages

Puritan age existed from 1620 to 1660. The age was ruled by King Charles I and King James 1, and there were certain disruptions in that period which led to the establishment of the Restoration period in the year 1660. On the arrival of King Charles II, the monarchy in England was restored back. There were a number of changes in the political and social front during the Restoration period.

Puritan Age-

The 17th century is regarded as the age of Puritanism. Due to the literary works of John Milton during this period, the age is also referred to as the Age of Milton. Milton was one of the prominent poets of this period.

Here I am writing down about John Milton. Who is the Main Writer of this age.

John Milton-

 In an age that, by comparison with the Elizabethan, produced relatively few great writers Milton stands as the one man who may claim a place among the very greatest. His prose is among the finest controversial writing in the language, and his poetic achievement has generally been considered to be second only to that of Shakespeare.

His Life-

Milton was born in Bread Street, Cheapside, London. His father was a money-scrivener, an occupation that combined the duties of the modern banker and lawyer. Milton was educated at St Paul's School, London, and at Cambridge. At the university, his stubborn and irascible nature declared itself, and owing to insubordination he was ' sent down ' for a term. On taking his final degree (1632), he abandoned his intention of entering the Church and retired to Horton, a small village in Buckinghamshire, some seventeen miles from London, whither his father had withdrawn from the business. Milton's next few years were those of a sequestered man of letters. Poetry, mathematics, and music were his main studies. In 1638, he left for a tour of the Continent, staying some months in Italy, where he met many scholars and literary men.

His Prose-

Most of Milton's prose was written during the middle period of his life (1640-60) when he was busy with public affairs. The prose works have an unusual interest because as a rule, they have a direct bearing on either his personal business or public interests. In all, they amount to twenty-five pamphlets, of which twenty-one are in English and the remaining four in Latin. He began pamphleteering quite early (1641) when he engaged in a lively controversy with Bishop Hall over episcopacy. Then, while teaching, he wrote a rather poor tract, Of Education (1644). When his wife deserted him, he composed two pamphlets on divorce (1643 and 1644), which scandalized the public with the freedom of their opinions and the slashing nature of their style. The critics of the pamphlets sought to confound Milton on a technical matter by pointing out that he had not licensed the books, as required by law. To this Milton retorted with the greatest of all his tracts, Areopagitica (1644), a noble and impassioned plea for the liberty of the Press. Later works include a defense (in Latin) of the execution of Charles I and of other actions of the Commonwealth Government. During the last years of his life, Milton partly completed a History of Britain and other scholastic works. When we consider the style of Milton's prose, we must keep in mind how it was occasioned. His pamphlets were cast off at white heat and precipitated into print while some topic was in urgent debate either in Milton's or the public mind. Hence, in method, they are tempestuous and disordered; voluble, violent, and lax in style.

His Poetry-

• “Song on May Morning” (1632–33)
• “Il Penseroso” (1633)
• “L’Allegro” (1633)
• “On His Being Arrived to the Age of Twenty-Three” (1631)
• “To Cyriack Skinner” (1656)
• “On Shakespeare” (1630)
• Paradise Lost (1667)
• “On his Deceased Wife” (1658)
• Samson Agonistes (1671)
• “On His Blindness” (1655)

Restoration Age-

Three historical events deeply influenced the literary movements of the time: the Restoration of the year 1660; the Roman Catholic controversy that raged during the latter half of Charles II's reign; and the Revolution of the year 1688. The Restoration of Charles II brought about a revolution in our literature. With the collapse of the Puritan Government, there sprang up activities that had been so long suppressed that they flew to violent excesses. The period is also known as the Age of Dryden, who was a prominent writer of this period.

John Dryden-(1631-1700)

His Life-

Dryden was born near Oundle in Northamptonshire and may have begun his education at Oundle Grammar School. He later entered Westminster School and went on to Cambridge. In 1657 or 1658, he moved to London, where he remained for the rest of his life as a man of letters. His life was a long one. It was, in addition, an exceedingly fruitful one. For forty years, he continued to produce an abundance of literary works of every kind - poems, plays, and prose works. The quality of it was almost unfailingly good, and at the end of the prime of his manhood. life, his poetry was as fresh and vivacious as it had been in the Of Dryden, it can be said without qualification that he is representative of his age. Indeed, it has been urged as a fault against his character that he adapted himself with too facile a conscience to the changing fortunes of the times. His earliest work of any importance is pre - Restoration (1659), and consists of a laudation of the recently dead Oliver Cromwell. At the Restoration, he changed his views, attaching himself to the fortunes of Charles II and to the Church of England. This loyalty brought its rewards in honors and pensions so that for many years Dryden was easily the most considerable literary figure in the land. Yet his career was not without its thorns, for smaller men were busy with their slanders. On the accession of James Il in 1685, Dryden changed his faith and political persuasion, becoming a Roman Catholic.

His Poetry -

Dryden began his life's work with poetry he concluded it with poetry, and the years between are starred with the brightness of his greater poems. As early as February 1664, Pepys records in his diary that he met "Mr. Dryden, the poet"; and he remained "Mr. Dryden, the poet" till the day of his death. It is therefore as a poet that Dryden is chiefly to be judged. His first published poem of any consequence was a series of heroic stanzas on the death of the Protector Oliver Cromwell (1659). It consists of thirty-seven quatrains of no particular merit. They move stiffly and are quite uninspired by any political or personal enthusiasm, but they are a striking manifestation of Dryden's directness and show a certain angular force and some metrical dexterity.

• Mac Flecknoe (1682)
• The Medall (1682)
• Annus Mirabilis (1667)
• Marriage à la Mode (1673)
• All for Love (1678)
• Heroic Stanzas (1659)

Dryden could write sophisticated quatrains his own way:

We sigh’d to hear the fair Iberian Bride

Must grow a Lilie to the Lilies side,

While Our cross Stars deny’d us Charles his Bed

Whom Our first Flames and Virgin Love did wed.

For his long absence Church and State did groan;

Madness the Pulpit, Faction seiz’d the Throne:

Experienc’d Age in deep despair was lost

To see the Rebel thrive, the Loyal crost.

Dryden ended his life in squabbles with his publisher and in bitterness over his own fate and that of not only his king but the principle of succession he had fought so hard to defend. He concluded his career with a contribution to a revision of John Fletcher’s Pilgrim. His prologue continues his attack, begun in “To my Honour’d Kinsman, John Driden” on the latest of his detractors, Sir Richard Blackmore and Luke Milbourne, poetaster and quack doctor, and the epilogue continues his ongoing attack against self-righteous Puritans who attack the stage and the age in general. But his best contribution is a fitting epitaph, both for himself and his century. Dryden portrays Momus, the god of mockery, showing up at a celebration of the century. Momus’s comments are devastating, as he attacks the god or goddess associated with each third of the century. To Diana, patroness of the early Stuarts, Momus comments, “Thy Chase had a Beast in View”; to Mars, patron of the Interregnum, “Thy Wars brought nothing about”; to Venus, patroness of the later Stuarts, “Thy Lovers were all untrue.” This last is perhaps his most devastating statement, for it refers not only to the licentious loves of Charles’s time but to James’s subjects’ infidelity. No wonder the expiring poet would with his last breath sing, “‘Tis well an Old Age is out, / And time to begin a New.” Dryden meant not only the century itself but his own old age. He could only hope that he was on his way to a new life, one free from the strife and disappointment of this life, one appreciative of the celestial strains of his great poetry.

[Word Count-1562]

Thinking Activity Absalom and Achitophel

Absalom and Achitophel

Hello Readers, I am writing down answers to some questions in this blog. Which is given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Absalom and Achitophel, verse satire by English poet John Dryden published in 1681. The poem, which is written in heroic couplets, is about the Exclusion crisis, a contemporary episode in which anti-Catholics, notably the earl of Shaftesbury, sought to bar James, duke of York, a Roman Catholic convert and brother to King Charles II, from the line of succession in favor of the king’s illegitimate (but Protestant) son, the duke of Monmouth.

Absalom and Achitophel was originally published in November 1681.

Make a list of characters who favored King David (Charles II) and those who were against him.

Supportive Character of King David-

King David-

David was the third king of Israel. David is a merciful and kind king who does not have a male heir to inherit the throne. As such, the crown will ascend down a “collateral line” after David’s death of his brother. As he has many mistresses, David also has several illegitimate sons, but he loves Absalom the most, and the people of Israel likewise love Absalom and herald him as a national hero. David gives Absalom everything he wants, and he would give him the crown, too, if he could. Over time, however, David’s dishonest counselor, Achitophel, begins to stir up resentment for David and encourages Absalom to rise up against his father to ensure that David’s brother will not ascend the throne. Both Absalom and Achitophel confuse David’s mild nature for weakness, and after David runs out of 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. As David speaks to the Jews, a massive crack of thunder is heard through the land, and all of Israel knows David is their rightful king. Dryden’s David is an allegory for King Charles II of England, and like David, 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. Dryden was an ardent supporter of the monarchy and Charles II, and his portrayal of David in “Absalom and Achitophel” reflects this support, but he does not depict David as perfect. On the contrary, Dryden is critical of Charles’s leniency and even pokes fun at his rumored promiscuity, but Dryden nevertheless 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.

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 Amiel 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.

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 staunch supporter of Charles II, and he is credited with being instrumental in defeating the Exclusion Bill in Parliament.

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.

David’s Brother-

The heir presumptive of Israel. David’s brother never actually makes it into the poem, but Achitophel and Absalom refer to him multiple times. The crown will go to David’s brother after David dies, and Achitophel does not want David’s brother to ascend the throne and hopes to place Absalom there instead. 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. In “Absalom and Achitophel,” Dryden implies that David’s brother has a divine right to the throne, that he was bestowed the right to rule by God, and Dryden likewise implies that James II has a right to rule over England as well.

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.

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 to the Protestants to conform to the Catholic religion.

Zadock-

One of David’s trusted men. According to the Bible, Zadock is the High Priest of Israel, and in Dryden’s poem, he represents William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, a supporter of Charles II.

Sagan of Jerusalem

One of David’s loyal men. In the Book of Samuel, Sagan of Jerusalem is a priest, but in “Absalom and Achitophel” he represents Henry Compton, Bishop of London and supporter of Charles II.

Adriel-

Another of David’s trusted men. In the Bible, Adriel is a nobleman in Israel and another of Barzillai’s sons. In “Absalom and Achitophel,” Adriel most likely represents John Sheffield, the 3rd Earl of Mulgrave, who opposed Monmouth’s succession to the crown and supported James II.

The Characters are against king David and Support Absalom.

Absalom-

David’s illegitimate son and the protagonist of “Absalom and Achitophel.” David does not have any legitimate heirs to the throne, but Absalom is his favorite child. Absalom is handsome and ambitious, and he has made himself a hero at war. The people of Israel love Absalom almost as much as David does, and 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 agrees to rebel against David, and as he travels Israel in a procession with Achitophel, Absalom conforms to Achitophel’s deceitful ways. Absalom and Achitophel mistake David’s mercy and good nature for weakness, but David soon loses patience with both Absalom and Achitophel. David asserts his power as king before the people of Israel and effectively shuts down Absalom’s rebellion, but Dryden never does say what becomes of Absalom. 

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. Through the character of Absalom, Dryden ultimately argues that Charles and his brother James both have a divine right to the crown that is not extended to Monmouth.

 

Achitophel-

 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 to the throne. Achitophel begins his plan to ruin David by claiming David is a Jebusite, and while he knows that his argument is “weak,” he also knows the Jews fear the Jebusites, and his approach proves very effective. As Achitophel works on Absalom, Achitophel’s trusted men wreak havoc with the Sanhedrin and try to bring David down from inside the government. Achitophel finally convinces Absalom to rebel, and they embark on a procession through Israel to further ingratiate Absalom with the people and identify enemies to their cause. However, Achitophel has mistaken David’s mercy and mild temper for signs of weakness, and when David finally loses his patience, Achitophel is reminded of David’s divine power. 

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.

Corah-

The most important of Achitophel’s men. Corah is a priest, although 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. Corah’s memory is impeccable, and his account of the plot never once changes, which is why the Jews believe his fictitious plot. 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.

Zimri-

One of Achitophel’s men whom Dryden describes as a “buffoon” who has tried several professions. In the Bible, Zimri is the 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, organized an unsuccessful plot against the government, and was accused of treason. He played an active role in the Popish Plot.

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 a 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.

Jonas-

One of Achitophel’s more powerful men who have 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.

Balaam-

One of Achitophel’s men. Balaam is a prophet in the Bible, and in “Absalom and Achitophel” he represents Theophilus Hastings, a Member of Parliament and proponent of the Exclusion Bill.

[Word Count-2061]

Thinking Activity: Hard Times

Hard Times

Hello Readers, I am writing down answers to some questions in this blog. Which is given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Discuss the theme of 'Utilitarianism' with illustrations from the novel / or / discuss any other theme of your choice.

Charles Dickens, an author witnessing firsthand the harsh impacts of the industrial revolution, wrote a novel that contains in it some of the themes still present in degrowth discourse today. His novel Hard Times demonstrates the invasion of utilitarianism and its economic implications into human relationships and education. Art is Dickens preferred form of dépense to replace the hegemony of utilitarianism. Dickens was a staunch anti-utilitarianist. While Dickens was writing Hard Times.

What is Utilitarianism ? 

It is a nineteenth century ethical theory most often attributed to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, that the moral worth of an action is determined only by its utility. Utility is "happiness or pleasure against pain or suffering" which exist in nature. That 'Goodness' is whatever brings" the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people". The interest of one man should be sacrificed for the benefits of the others.

Utilitarianism is a theory of morality, which advocates actions that foster happiness and oppose actions that cause unhappiness. Utilitarianism promotes " the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people . "When used in a sociopolitical construct, utilitarian ethics aims for the betterment of society as a whole. Utilitarianism is a reason - based approach to determining right and wrong, but it has limitations. Utilitarianism does not account for things like feelings and emotions, culture, or justice.

Utilitarianism is the assumption that human beings act in a way that highlights their own self-interest. It is based on factuality and leaves little room for imagination. 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. At the other end of the perspective, a group of circus members, who are the total opposite of utilitarians, are added by Dickens to provide a sharp contrast from the ideas of Mr. Bounderby and Mr. Gradgrind. 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.

Dickens’ ultimate message is to show the value of imagination, art, and human connection in a place dominated by fact and rationality. When Tom Gradgrind’s children, Louisa and Tom face hardship because they followed their father’s utilitarian thinking, it is ultimately Sissy who will be the one who pilots change in the imaginary of the Gradgrinds. Sissy is a magnetic storyteller, someone who can light the spark in the minds of others that illuminates a new vision of the world. That vision might be a fantastic one of fairies and other forest spirits, or of a different, more compassionate future. We see this in Sissy’s undying hope that her father might still come back home to her one day. She has faith in a better tomorrow that is based on love, not material improvement.

The educators see children as easy targets just waiting to be filled with information. They did not consider, however, the children’s need for fiction, poetry, and other fine arts that are used to expand children’s minds, all of which are essential today in order to produce well-rounded human beings through the educational process.

One has to wonder how different the story would be if Gradgrind did not run the school. How can you give a utilitarian man such as Gradgrind such power over a town? I do like how Dickens structures the book to make one ask obvious questions such as these. Dickens does not tell us much about the success of the other students of the school besides Bitzer, who is fairly successful on paper but does not have the capacity as a person to deal with life’s everyday struggles. 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. Tom, now out from under his father’s wing, begins to drink and gamble heavily. Eventually, to get out of a deep gambling debt, he robs a bank and is forced to flee the area. When Bitzer realizes that Tom has robbed the bank and catches him, Mr. Gradgrind begs him to let Tom go, reminding him of all of the hard work that was put on him while at the school.

Ironically Bitzer, using the tools of factuality that he had learned in Gradgrinds school, replies that the school was paid for, but it is now over and he owes nothing more. I think this is extremely funny how, at a time of need, Gradgrind’s educational theory has backfired in his face. I think Dickens put this irony in as a comical device but also to show how ineffective the utilitarian method of teaching is.

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. Mr. James Harthouse, a young, good-looking guy, is attracted to Louisa and deceivingly draws her attraction to him. She does not know what to do since she has never had feelings of her own before. 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. One must think that he is beginning to doubt his philosophy after seeing it backfire in his face more than once.

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. Bounderby often states that workers are all looking for “venison, turtle soup, and a golden spoon,” while all they really want is decent working conditions and fair wages for their work.

He is not concerned about his employees as human beings, but how much their hands can produce during the workday, resulting in money in his pocket. When one of his workers, Stephen Blackpool came to Bounderby’s house asking for advice about his bad marriage, he was treated as inferior just because of his social status. Dickens portrayed the scene as one in which Blackpool was on a level five steps below Bounderby and his associates because he was a lowly worker who was obviously much less educated than them.

It almost seemed like they would not even take him seriously because he was such. Blackpool was told that he could not divorce his wife because it would be against the laws of England. Later in the book, Bounderby divorces his wife. This shows that wealth played a large role in determining the social classes that people were in and the privileges they had. This was definitely unfair but the social classes were structured in a way that allowed those who had money to look down upon those who were less fortunate. Generally, those who were not well-educated did not have any money, while the well-educated ones such as Bounderby and Gradgrind were wealthy. The people who knew the factual information, (utilitarians) were successful, while those who did not were reduced to working in the factories of the utilitarians.

[Word Count- 1520]

Thinking Activity Importance of Being Earnest

Importance of Being Earnest

Hello Readers, I am writing down answers to some questions in this blog. Which is given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895. The play tells the story of two men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who both assume the identity of a fictional man named Ernest, leading them both to fall in love and find an assortment of problems along the way. The full title of the work is The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. The title of the comedy is a play on words, with the two men deceiving those around them by using the name Ernest, while the word ''earnest'' means both serious and sincere. The play is anything but serious, and the characters are anything but sincere in their names. Multiple characters bring this comedy to life. Among them are Jack Worthing, Cecily Cardew, Algernon Moncrieff, Gwendolen Fairfax, Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism, and Dr. Chasuble.

The character of Jack Worthing

Jack Worthing, the play’s protagonist, was discovered as an infant by the late Mr. Thomas Cardew in a handbag in the cloakroom of a railway station in London. Jack has grown up to be a seemingly responsible and respectable young man, a major landowner and Justice of the Peace in Hertfordshire, where he has a country estate. In Hertfordshire, where he is known by what he imagines to be his real name, Jack, he is a pillar of the community. He is the guardian to Mr. Cardew’s granddaughter, Cecily, and has other duties and people who depend on him, including servants, tenants, farmers, and the local clergyman. For years, he has also pretended to have an irresponsible younger brother named Ernest, whom he is always having to bail out of some mischief. In fact, he himself is the reprobate brother Ernest. Ernest is the name Jack goes by in London, where he really goes on these occasions. The fictional brother is Jack’s alibi, his excuse for disappearing from Hertfordshire and going off to London to escape his responsibilities and indulge in exactly the sort of behavior he pretends to disapprove of in his brother.

More than any other character in the play, Jack Worthing represents conventional Victorian values: he wants others to think he adheres to such notions as duty, honor, and respectability, but he hypocritically flouts those very notions. Indeed, what Wilde was actually satirizing through Jack was the general tolerance for hypocrisy in conventional Victorian morality. Jack uses his alter-ego, Ernest, to keep his honorable image intact. Ernest enables Jack to escape the boundaries of his real life and act as he wouldn’t dare to under his real identity. Ernest provides a convenient excuse and disguises for Jack, and Jack feels no qualms about invoking Ernest whenever necessary. Jack wants to be seen as upright and moral, but he doesn’t care what lies he has to tell his loved ones in order to be able to misbehave. Though Ernest has always been Jack’s unsavory alter ego, as the play progressesJack must aspire to become Ernest, in name if not behavior. Until he seeks to marry Gwendolen, Jack has used Ernest as an escape from real life, but Gwendolen’s fixation on the name Ernest obligates Jack to embrace his deception in order to pursue the real life he desires. Jack has always managed to get what he wants by using Ernest as his fallback, and his lie eventually threatens to undo him. Though Jack never really gets his comeuppance, he must scramble to reconcile his two worlds in order to get what he ultimately desires and to fully understand who he is.

Jack as Older Brother

Even before he knows he’s an older brother, Jack acts like an older brother. As a guardian to Cecily, he’s used to set down rules, even guiding curriculum, as we see in the tutoring scene with Miss Prism. Jack is bossy. In the first scene, he liberally dispenses "shoulds" to Algernon. Jack has no problem giving out one piece of advice after another: one shouldn’t read a private cigarette case, shouldn’t discuss modern culture, shouldn’t talk like a dentist, etc.

Jack isn't any less dishonest than Algernon, but he is more serious about keeping up his air of respectability. When he finally comes out with the truth about Cecily, "who addresses me as her uncle from motives of respect that [Algernon] could not possibly appreciate," he takes pains to separate himself from Algernon, who is "hardly serious enough"

Jack also has a bit of that older sibling control thing, enhanced by a tendency to get in bad moods when things don’t go his way. Wilde describes Jack's reaction as "irritable" three times in the play: when Algernon rushes him when Lady Bracknell quizzes him on Cecily’s background, and when the same lady can’t remember his father’s first name. Jack is as willing as Algernon to humiliate himself to get what he wants—the entrance with him dressed all in mourning is priceless—but he’s less amused when things turn out badly:

Jack: This ghastly state of things is what you call Bunburying, I suppose?

Algernon: Yes, and a perfectly wonderful Bunbury it is. The most wonderful Bunbury I have ever had in my life.

Algernon enjoys the social game, while Jack wants results.

Jack on the Social Ladder

The men are also distinct from each other in terms of their taste in women. Jack is attracted to Gwendolen, a "sensible, intellectual girl". Gwendolen is a sophisticated city woman, and her style and education make her desirable to Jack. So does her good name—a department in which Jack, socially speaking at least, could stand to improve. Even before Jack discovers his true origins, he has a lot to gain from marriage into the Bracknell family (though he’ll have to deal with Lady Bracknell on a continual basis).

Analyze the play Importance of Being Earnest as a social critique.

Jack also represents the upper class but he is much better than Algernon in certain respects. He is a responsible guardian and a serious type of young man. While Algernon is too light-hearted, Jack is too serious-minded. His very solemnity is made to look ridiculous. Cecily opines that her Uncle Jack sometimes looks so serious as to give the impression that he is unwell. His over-seriousness may be found in his refusal to go either to the theatre, to the club, or to the empire.

The portrayal of Lady Bracknell is perhaps the most satirical of all. Through her portrayal, the playwright exposes and ridicules the foibles, absurdities, and vanity of the upper-class ladies of his time. Lady Bracknell claims to have a taste for music but she would like her nephew to make the selection of the numbers to be played at her party. Her principal absurdities are her snobbery, class consciousness, her mercenary outlook on life, suspicious nature, and her domineering temperament.

The next two characters outside the aristocracy are Dr. Chasuble, the elergyman, and Miss Prism, the governess. Dr. Chasuble instead of inspiring respect is subject to ridicule for his pompous manner of speaking, his hypocrisy, his lack of real scholarship, and his materialistic attitude to life. Thus The Importance of Being Earnest satirizes vividly the mannerisms, vices, and follies of the England society of the time.

Why “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire?

Some poets, writers, and dramatists consider their responsibility to satirize society through their work. Thus, the first reason is that Oscar Wilde, like other dramatists, considered that it is his responsibility to aware people of their snobbish attitude. In doing so, he tries to correct the absurd behavior of people. The second reason is that Victorian Society used to flee away from its responsibilities. It used to focus only on appearances. Showing off was their prime purpose. Not only Oscar Wilde but also many other writers tried their best to speak against it. In a usual manner, “Importance of Being Earnest” is a direct attack on Victorian Society. To exemplify, Earnest flees from his house and enjoys the luxuries of life. Similarly, a person can have children besides wedlock and no one is going to question him if his apparent image is maintained. Thus, that society was far away from morality. These reasons force Oscar Wilde to do social satire in form of “Importance of Being Earnest”.

How “Importance of Being Earnest” is a Social satire?

There are a lot of examples in the play which prove that the play is a mockery of Victorian Society. Lady Bracknell’s character is important in this context. She being representative of upper class/Victorian Society performs a negative role. She is a greedy and fashion-conscious lady. In that age, when people become wise, Lady Bracknell has become foolish. However, she knows the importance of money. She has prepared a list of people, who are wealthy and is going to interview them to select a rich husband for Gwendoline. She rejects Jack because his parentage is unknown. In her eyes, if her daughter solemnizes marriage to Jack, it would disrespect her. She is a narrow-minded, conservative, and ruthless woman.

It seems that Oscar Wilde presented her in the play to create humor but it is also true that her primary purpose is to tell people about the foolishness of Victorian Society.

Religious Satire as Part of Social Satire in “Importance of Being Earnest”:

Canon Chasuble maybe is the minor character of this play but his role is important. He belongs to the religious class and is supposed to be a serious person but he surprises us through his dialogue. Indeed, his dialogues directly come from the mouth of Oscar Wilde and he has deliberately written them to prove that not only the elite class is corrupt but also the religious class. Religious people like Dr. Chasuble also take part in corrupting society. Both moral and physical corruption have been shown in the play. Remarks of Canon Chasuble about Miss Prism are full of sexuality. He always praises her physical body. Somewhere he talks about her lips and somewhere about her hair. For instance, in a dialogue, he says: “Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism’s pupil, I would hang upon her lips.” Although he, in the next dialogue, tries to cover his wish by declaring his statement as a metaphor yet the audience knows that he is morally and physically corrupt.

[Word Count-1752]

Amrut Rang Yuva Urja Mahotsav-2022

 Sunday Reading: Youth Festival 2022

 

This blog is a part of a Sunday reading assigned by Dilip Barad sir. In this blog, I'm going to Write down all the information about the Youth Festival which is held on 18,19,20,21 September 2022 this Youth festival was celebrated by the name of...

In this youth festival, students from 44 colleges and departments participated in various competitions. This time Takshila institute hosted this youth festival. The youth festival was held after 2 years because of Covid.

Here are some points to ponder upon and discuss it...

Themes represented in various tableaux of Kala-yatra - 18 Sept 2022 - From Victoria Park Water Tank to Amphi-theater. 4 pm to 6 pm.

Youth Festival starts from Kalayatra Which was a start on 18th September 2022. It started from the Victoria park water tank to the University Amphi theatre. Here I like to share some photos of Kalayatra.

आज की नारी सब पर भारी

I like this because it's about Woman's Freedom.

Digital World

This is the Time table for the Youth festival.

In the morning Youth festival started from Udghatan Samaroh (Inauguration).In this opening of youth some students. They performed Ganesh stuti. And They all can not speak and not listen to anything though they all performed very well.

At this Inauguration, many chief guests come and give Best wishes to those who will participate in Youth Festival. Here is the list of Chief Guests...

JituBhai Vaghani 

V.C. Dr. M. N. Trivedi 

Bhartiben Shiyal

Abhishek Jain

Kirtiben Danidharia

Safin Hasan Sir

One-Act Play:  

 Skit: 

Mono-acting: 

Sugam Sangit:

Short Film: 

Essay Writing:

Rangoli:

Clay Modelling: 

Installation: 

Cartooning:

Paper collage: 

 

Painting: 

Winners of the Department of English:

These are the Medals of the Winners.

Winners of various competitions

Winners of the Kalayatra of 2022:-

1  Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

3  K.R. Doshi group of colleges, Bhavnagar and Takshashila Science and Commerce College, Bhavnagar 

Mimicry:-

1 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Herma Raviraj)

2  Shri Swami sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Rayjada Mahiraj)

3  K.R. Doshi group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Kaba Ravi)

Bhajan:-

1 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Kunchala Ajit)

2 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Kanjara Bhumi)

3 Gopinathji Mahila Arts and Commerce College, Sihor (Parmar Pooja)

Tatkal Chitra :-

1 Shree Swaminarayan College of Commerce and Management, Bhavnagar (Vaghela Hiral)

2 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Malvana Gunjan)

3 Maruti Vidya Mandir Group of Colleges, Bhavnagar (Solanki Vivek)

Swarachit Kavya Pathan:-

1 Department of Psychology, Bhavnagar (Kamal Shurshti)

2 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Vyas Ghei)

3 Department of English, Bhavnagar (Parmar Himanshi)

Lok Nritya:-

3 MJ college of Commerce, Bhavnagar 

2 Sir P.P. Institute of Science, Bhavnagar 

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

Mime:-

3 MJ college of Commerce, Bhavnagar 

2 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

1 Maruti Vidhya mandir group of colleges, Bhavnagar 

Halvu Kanthy Sangit (Sugam Geet) :-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Dhapa  Jay)

2 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Terya Dhvani)

3 Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Gadhavi  Krishna)

Paper Collage:-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Vadodariya Prutha)

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Sapara Janki)

3 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Parmar Ayushiba)

Samuh Geet (Western):-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

3  VM Sakariya Mahila College, Botad

One act Play:-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

2 MJ College of Commerce, Bhavnagar 

3 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

Shastriy Gayan:-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Dave Isha) (there was only one participant)

Poster making:-

1 K.R. Doshi group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Solanki Yashasvi)

2 Shree Swaminarayan College of Commerce and Management, Bhavnagar  (Vaghela Hiral)

3 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Solanki Ishita)

Parshan Manch:-

1 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar 

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

3 Gopinathaji Mahila arts and commerce college, Sihor .

Western Song (Solo):-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Shah Keval)

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Kahi Afaraj)

3 Department of English, Bhavnagar (Emisha Ravani)

Halvu Kanthy Sangit (Lok Geet):-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Gohil Mandeepsinh)

2 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Kunchala Ajit)

3 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Algotar Mansi) and Mandi Mahila College, Bhavnagar (Saiyad Sujay)

Clay Modeling:-

1 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Solanki Keyur)

2 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Rajput Khushbu)

3 Department of English, Bhavnagar (Jeel Barad)

Mono Acting:-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar ( Deep Trivedi)

2 Department of English, Bhavnagar (Dhvani Rajyguru)

3 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Gohil Rinkuba)

Shastriya Vadan  (Tal Vadhya):-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Bhatti Shubham)

2 Department of Chemistry, Bhavnagar (Jadeja Babhadrsinh)

(There were only 2 participants)

Mehndi:-

1 Department of Economics, Bhavnagar 

2 Shree Umiya Mahila arts and commerce college, Lathidad

3 Department of Commerce, Bhavnagar

Nibandh :-

1 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Parmar Dhatri) 

2 Shree Swaminarayan College of Commerce and Management, Bhavnagar (Rathod Hetal)

3 Department of English, Bhavnagar (Parmar Divya)

Shastriya Nritya:-

1 Sir P.P. Institute of Science, Bhavnagar ((Jadeja Mrunalba)

2 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Vara Snigdha)

3 K.R. Doshi group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Dave Foram)

Tatkal Photography:-

1 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Joshi Devam)

2 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Antariya Anjali)

3 Department of Life Science, Bhavnagar (Dabhi Drashti)

Skit:-

1 Takshashila Science and commerce College, Bhavnagar

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

3 MJ college of Commerce, Bhavnagar 

Short Film:-

3 Department of English, Bhavnagar 

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

Lok Vadhya Sangit Vrund:-

1 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar

2 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar

(There were only 2 participants)

Shastriya Vadan (Svar Vadhya):-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Parmar Pareet)

2 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Dabhi Raju)

3 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar (Nimavat Pranav)

Cartooning:-

1 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Baraiya Jay)

2 Maharani Shree Nandkuvarba Arts and Commerce College, Bhavnagar (Solanki Avni)

3 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Chavda Viraj)

Duha - Chhand:-

1 Shri Swami Sahajanand college of commerce and management, Bhavnagar (Parmar Madhav)

2 Sardar Patel group of colleges, Bhavnagar  (Sahu Dharvik)

3 Shamaldas Arts College, Bhavnagar (Gadhvi Vanraj)

Thank You...