John Donne’s Poems-‘Sweetest Love’ and ‘The Sun Rising’

Name:  Nargis I. Saiyad

Paper: The Renaissance Literature

Topic: John Donne’s poems-‘Sweetest Love’ and ‘The Sun Rising’

Class: M.A.II, Sem.: I

Year: 2012/13

Submitted To,

 Dr. Dilip Barad,

Dept. of English,

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Bhavnagar.

John Donne’s Poems-‘Sweetest Love’ and ‘The Sun Rising’

                                                                  

·        About John Donne :-

                    John Donne is one of the metaphysical poets. Metaphysical poetry is difficult to understand because it demands of intellectual effort.

·        His Poetry :-

Donne’s Poetry shows the human struggle for harming between head and heart. Donne’s approach to love is very down-to-earth, sometimes we may shock but it is always original.

                                                                   Let’s see his two  

Poems:

·        SONG -‘SWEETEST LOVE, I do not go’ :

According to P.K. Thakar, we can understand the Poem in three levels. Let’s view it according to P. K. Thakar in levels.

·           Phonological level :-

In this poem the words like ‘deaths’ and ‘die’, He and ‘hath no and nor ‘so’ ‘But’ and ‘believe’, ‘speedier’ and since, add, another, and hour, alliterate each-other so, the device of alliteration is used hero.

·           Semantic level :-

The poem is about the departure of the loves. So, this is love poem. The title itself suggests it. It is a lyric.

“SWEETEST love, I do not go,

For weariness of three,”

Here, the poet wants to say that he is not going because he is tired of his beloved.

Moreover, he says that even he is going to get fitted love from the world. He compares his departure with the death.

In the second stanza he uses the metaphor of ‘Sun’. He says that even sun comes daily and goes out every-day. He says that he will also come like it.

This is the first line of the third stanza. Here he becomes philosophical. He says that man’s power is feeble. He adds that if a man wishes to add hour to good fortune, he can’t. Even he can’t recall a lost hour.

Then he gives the message that it all depends on man’s mentality. We give power to our misfortune.

In the fourth stanza, the lover aryls that he is so much a part of her, he is in her breath.

The first three stanzas tell about the departure and return of the lover but the last two stanzas tell about the harm that the beloved can cause.

In the last stanza, the poet says that his beloved should nod think ill about their future. He fears that if she continues take part to fulfill her fear. It is written here like this.

   

“Destiny may take thy part and may thy fear fulfill.”

At last he advises his beloved to imagine. She should think that both of them are on bed turning aside of each-other.

3.    Grammar Level :-

This is a lyric of five stanzas. Here the apostrophe ‘I’ is used that refers to the lover.

The archaic words are also used here like ‘thee’, ‘thou’, ‘thy’ etc...

·        The sun Rising :-

Ø    Theme :-

This is a love poem in which the lover complains to the sun that it should not shine and disturb him and his beloved.

Ø    Content :-

“Busy old fool, unruly sun,

Why dost thou thus,

Though windows, and through curtains, callous?”

So, he calls the sun as a “busy”, ‘old’, ‘fool’ and asks that why it is disturbing them?

Thus, he tells the sun to go and shine to late school-boys, Prentice, court-huntsmen, ants and disturb them.

He says that in love hours, days, month all are the waste of time.

The love is stronger than the sun-beams. He also says that he can eclipse and cloud them with a wink.

This reminds us Shakespeare’s “My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun” in one sonnet.

This was a standard Renaissance love-poem convention to proclaim his beloved’s loveliness.

In the final line, he gives Ptolemaic astronomic idea that the earth the centre of the universe and the sun rotates around the earth and this final line is,

“This bed thy centre is, these walk thy sphere”

Thus, here the poet-lover wants to say that their feelings of love are more important than anything in the world.

Ø    Structure :-

The poem has there stanzas and each are ten lined. The rhyming scheme in each stanza is ABBACDCDEE.

The tone is mocking and railing when he calls the sun as ‘busy’, old, fool. The sun is personified here.

The wards like ‘must’ and ‘notion’, ‘School’, and’ sour, call, and country, no and knows, alliterate each-other. So, the device of alliteration is used here the words like ‘thou’, through, go, ‘I’ ‘thy’, are repeated. So, the repetition is used in the poem.  

Ø    Conclusion :-

We can see paradox, belittling cosmic forces, love as both physical and spiritual, interconnection humanity etc. for example, in ‘The Sun Rising’ the lovers believe that their love is more important than the whole world. That refers to the belittling cosmic forces. In most of his love poems, he tells that there love is superior to any other.  This refers to the love as both physical and spiritual.  Donne’s imagination is great and we can see his greatness of writing the poem by these two poems.  

The Characters of Ekalavya and Arjuna

Name:  Nargis I. Saiyad

Paper: Indian Writing in English

Topic: The character sketches of Ekalavya and Arjuna from the play ‘Purpose’ by T.P. Kailasam

Class: M.A.II, Sem.: I

Year: 2012/13

Submitted To,

 Heenaba Zala,

Dept.of English,

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Bhavnagar.

The Character of Ekalavya and Arjuna

                                                                              Play  : ‘Purpose’

                                                                   Playwright: T.P. Kailasam

·        Introduction :

          Kailasam’s plays have a Uniform technical excellence for this, C.R. Reddy has said,

          “Greater than any writer I have known is Kailasam in dramatic technique.”

          Kailasam tried to high-light something which in original myth was neglected.  

Let’s see how the play Wright made change in original myth and the reason being behind it. To know both the Character, is very important to understand the play deeply.

·        Arjuna :

          In the very beginning of the novel the sum is that in the mid- ground Arjuna is Practicing with how. 

The same itself emphasize Arjuna’s aim of life. He has the aim to become Wold's  number one archer.

He is noble, too. It can be seen when Arjuna Prostrates himself before Bheeshma. Arjuna called his aim as ‘Personal ambition’. In the very young aim, his aim was personal’. It is written line this.

Arjuna : ‘Yes, Taataajee! why, I shall HAVE to remember it, is my personal ambition to be the most famous archer of all time!’

When Bheeshma advises him to love his guru he admits it immediately. So, he goes to Dronacharya to learn himself. He apologizes for his mistake.

Then he understands what Drona wanted to make him understand that why he makes poor Progress.

He understands the ‘KARMA’S’.

One Drona, in frustration tells him.

“YOU POOR SELF-OBSESSED CHILD; YOU WILL THEN REALIZES THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS GOD!”

At that time, overwhelmed by Drona’s outburst, Arjuna shudders in fear.

Arjuna was so boastful that he didn't like that Ekalavya also wanted to become the best archer of the world.

·        Ekalavya :

 The Protagonist of this play is Ekalavya. He is Nishada. He also wants to become the best archer of the world. He always speaks whatever he thinks to be true. He had great esteem. He really likes the technique of Guru Dronacharya but he also recognized Arjuna as a novice. It is written in play like this.

·        Ekalavya :

“……..this MUST BE THE GREAT DRONACHARYA! Who else could in a few moments and with a few words turn a voice into a good archery that boy, Partha, looks a skillful archer already! Why, I am better myself for listening to him and following his words! ”

He was so interested in the archery that he thought that he must not miss a word of Drona. This shows his loves for him aim.

·        Ekalavya :

             “(Sotto Voice) ‘WHAT, HE TOO? What is his reason…..I wonder?

When he heard Drona telling Arjuna that or become the best archer is on his hands. He immediately catchers the words and believes that it is in own hands, perhaps it is in his hands, also.”

He has very good capturing ability.

He already knows that because of his caste, may be Drona will not teach him but he thinks that because of him aim he would have to dare for it.

Here, he knows very well that his aim is very noble. He thinks that his aim can not be noble than Arjuna.

He is very hard-working.

·        Ekalavya :

“I HAVE TRIED HARD EVER SO HARD, SIR, TO LEARN BY MYSELF….BUT IT DOES SEEM NOT POSSIBLE, SIR, TO LEARN ALL BY ONE’S OWN SELF!”

We can see here, he really tries hard to convince Dronacharya to teach him. He is just child when he speaks all these. We can see his child like manner of explaining something to elders.

·        Comparison  and Contrast of these two characters:

The similarity between both the characters is that both want to become the world’s best archer.

Though the aim is same, the purpose for it is different  Arjuna has the personal purpose and Ekalavya’s purpose is to save the animals.

In their childhood, Ekalavya tells Arjuna face to face that Arjuna can not improve it will continue his archery like he is doing at that time.

·        Arjuna :

“(Reiterating what he heard of Ekalavya’s words) The boy Partha will haven improve” (Looking around) who said that?”

Arjuna couldn't bear that.

This shows that Ekalavya is very keen observed. He follows each and every advice of Drona.

He always heaps mother’s advice in mind. So, when Arjuna tells him about his caste. He tells him.

·        Ekalavya :

“(Smiling) “What else? Mother always says that PRIDE IN ONE’S CASTE MORE THAN IN ONE’S POWER TO DO GOOD is the surest sing of a weak head !...”

He never looses his temper in a small matter. When Arjuna teller him that he doesn't like him. He says that it is his fear. In the play, it is written like this.

When Guruji tells him that he is willing to teach but cannot. At that time, he thinks that the all necessary elements for the archery are fulfilled now.

Arjuna has hasty nature.

Ekalavya even gives his thumb to Drona but at the end repents because it became burls in purpose. He did all that in love with Guruji.

·           Conclusion :

Here, Kailasam tried of give justice to Ekalavya’s Character which is not there in original myth. For his art of writing, he had said.

The greatness of art is in Proportion to the greatness, of the characters of the characters that the artist creates.

'Robinson Crusoe' as a moral tale

Name:  Nargis I. Saiyad

Paper: The Neo-classical Literature

Topic: 'Robinson Crusoe' as a moral tale

Class: M.A.II, Sem.: I

Year: 2012/13

Submitted To,

 Heenaba Zala,
Dept.of English,

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.
Bhavnagar.

'Robinson Crusoe' as a moral tale

Novel :- Robinson Cruse

Novelist :- Daniel Defoe

Introduction :-

The novel 'Robinson Crusoe' more than just an adventurous story.  The novel includes the themes like the ambivalence of mastery, the necessity of repentance, the importance of self-awareness, individuality, morality etc.

Philip Sidney's views :-

Philip Sidney looks at the writer as a moral teacher and instruction becomes the chief function of literature and the novel 'Robinson Crusoe' fulfills all his demands.

'Robinson Crusoe' as a moral tale :-

The novel contains a lot of moral values. Throughout the novel, we can see the examples of morality in the novel.

Helpful nature is one of the moral values.  In London, Robinson becomes friend with the captain of a trading ship, he invited Robinson to go with him which would cost him nothing.

Honesty is one of the moral values, the captain's widow was the friend of Robinson.  She kept his money for some years.  So he writes,

" I left two hundred of my three hundred pounds' profit in the safe hands of the captain's widow.”

Once he said the Moor to get something for them to eat  but he also said,

" I said that it was not good that we should eat the food which our master had sent for his guests.”

Even if the guests were not arrived.  This also shows honesty.

Once he found the opportunity to escape.  He succeed  in it by making the Moor to go out.  He could shoot at him, but didn't shoot him.  He also saved Xury and said to him like this.

"Xury, if you are Faithful, to me I will make you a great man, I promise."

When Robinson lands on his island, he had nothing to eat.  He had to live upon goat's flesh.  The first goat that he had shot was a she goat who had a little goat home on his shoulders and tried to tame it.  This shows his Compassionate nature.

He shows his pity on the men, who were killed and eaten by the savages.

One day Robinson saw the chance of saving one poor fellow's life.  He saved him.  He gave him a name-Friday, gave him clothes, food, fresh water.  He also prevented him to eat his language and made him tame man.  When Friday  wanted him to go with him to his own island. He says,

" You teach wild man to be tame man,  he said. ' You tell them know God.  Pray God.  You teach me good.  You will teach them good.

When one English ship arrives, he then also dries to save three prisoners.

He asks the prisoners,

" If I save you, are you willing to agree to my conditions ? I have only two.  The first is that while you stay on this island you will obey any orders that I give you.  If I give you a gun, you will return it to me and do no harm either to me or to my possessions.  The second condition is that if you recover your ship you will take me and my Servant, Friday, to England."

In the island, he makes pot, baskets, learns to for build good and secure home which can be protected him from enemies.  This all shows his hard-working nature.  He also learns to sow grain and something about grapes.

Gratitude and helpful nature, and honesty are also moral values, Friday is grateful to Crusoe for saving his life.  Even the second English Captain and his loyal Crew are grateful to Crusoe for saving them.

Crusoe had faith  in God.  Even he teacher Friday morality, makes him Christian.  He teaches him the difference between good and evil.

Crusoe lives with Friday who was different from the look and act.  Even the Spaniard and English learn to live with one another.  This shows tolerance and harmony between races.

The Biblical reference given here also suggests Crusoe's exile from civilization that represents Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden garden.  This gives lesson to be obedient to elders.

He compares himself with Job, who also regained divine favour.

Conclusion :-

We learn the lesson from the novel because it contains many moral values.  We learn that we must work hard to get success, we should have determined nature to achieve the goal and we should not give up effort when facing any hardships.  Besides this, We also learn think positively.  Despite our differences in cultures, we should respect different races.  We should by to be obedient to our elders.  

So, we can easily say that the novel Robinson Crusoe is a moral tale.