The poem ‘Refugee’ is allusory to the historical moment of China occupying
Tibet. The Tibetans became completely homeless and had to immigrate to
the neighboring country India. Due to the massive immigration, many
suffered problems like identity crisis and rootlessness.
The speaker in the poem voices the pain of his countrymen who struggled
for establishment. The narrator here is a school going boy. He painfully
recounts the fact that his mother told him that he was a refugee. In addition,
the road side tent in which they are living metaphorically symbolizes
aimless life of the refugees.
The trauma of the boy continues even in his school. His teacher teasingly
remarks at him that the letter ‘R’ has been engraved on his forehead. The
letter ‘R’ in this context refers to the painful state of being a refugee. The
struggle of the boy to break out of the crisis is emphasized when he says
he tried to scratch his forehead. But all his efforts go in vain with a result of
‘red brash’.
The problem of the boy’s crisis is heightened when he recounts the
languages he has known namely: his mother tongue to sing in joy, English
and Hindi for survival. Even the boy’s language suffers crisis as it is
sandwiched between two foreign languages Hindi and English.
The sole consolation for the boy in the midst of all the adverse
circumstances is that his name RAMZEN retains the Tibetan flavor.
Excepting the name, the boy’s identity seems to have been completely
engulfed by events over which he has no control.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Twist – E R Braithwaite
The poem 'twist' is a powerful expression of black consciousness, a
movement that marks the battle of the blacks for upliftment of the socially
downtrodden. The poet, E. R. Braithwaite uses no conventional poetic
features to emphatically propangadise the black culture. The poem serves as
a reminder of the vast cultural heritage of the blacks. The use of certain
adjectives implies the social status of the blacks. Hence, despite its brevity,
the poem is effective enough in capturing the spirit of the black
consciousness movement.
The poet refers to a town which is described as 'shanty', to indicate the
poverty of the blacks as opposed to their cultural affluence, which is
mentioned in the subsequent lines. The place appears to be an inn where
there is an assemblage of young girls. There is a deliberate reference to their
colour as black, brown and a mixture of black and brown. Thus the reference
to skin colour is reminiscent of the apartheid movement of South Africa.
The cultural significance of the poem surfaces through the description of the
dance 'twist'. The poet is all appreciation for the performer who arouses a
sensual thirst in her audience. The poet draws our attention to the graceful
movement of the hips of the performer to the tunes of the jukebox, which
brings in a thunder of hunger in the bellies of the audience. Thus the poem
serves as a celebration of black heritage.
movement that marks the battle of the blacks for upliftment of the socially
downtrodden. The poet, E. R. Braithwaite uses no conventional poetic
features to emphatically propangadise the black culture. The poem serves as
a reminder of the vast cultural heritage of the blacks. The use of certain
adjectives implies the social status of the blacks. Hence, despite its brevity,
the poem is effective enough in capturing the spirit of the black
consciousness movement.
The poet refers to a town which is described as 'shanty', to indicate the
poverty of the blacks as opposed to their cultural affluence, which is
mentioned in the subsequent lines. The place appears to be an inn where
there is an assemblage of young girls. There is a deliberate reference to their
colour as black, brown and a mixture of black and brown. Thus the reference
to skin colour is reminiscent of the apartheid movement of South Africa.
The cultural significance of the poem surfaces through the description of the
dance 'twist'. The poet is all appreciation for the performer who arouses a
sensual thirst in her audience. The poet draws our attention to the graceful
movement of the hips of the performer to the tunes of the jukebox, which
brings in a thunder of hunger in the bellies of the audience. Thus the poem
serves as a celebration of black heritage.
Night Herons – Judith Wright
The poem 'Night Herons' is a subtle expression of the loss of the primitive life
which once was part of Australia. Judith Wright brilliantly articulates the mixed
feelings of excitement and pain caused by the unexpected appearence of the
night herons. The night herons metaphorically represent the primitive
australianness. The poem brilliantly encapsulates a brief moment of the
appearence of the night herons. Despite the brevity of their stay, the birds
trigger powerful nostalgia in the people.
The time referred to is a day after the rain which has brought in a sense of
tranquility. The street mentioned has a bearing of the after-effects of rain. It is
illuminated with the gleam of yellow light. The birds suddenly appear and
march magestically down the road. The beauty of the description surfaces
when the poet personifies the windows being flowered with the eyes of the
excited children looking at the birds.
The news of the birds reaches people at the speed of light. Despite the
assemblage of the curious people, the atmosphere is quiet. The people are
insistent on quietness and 'everyone says “hush”'. When the herons are
marching ahead, the expression of the people grows wilder than the birds.
The birds open up a repertoire of mixed feelings in the women. They go back
to their youth life. This feeling of nostalgia subtly refers the past of the nation.
Conclusively, the herons go away and the poem ends witha note of lights
fading away.
which once was part of Australia. Judith Wright brilliantly articulates the mixed
feelings of excitement and pain caused by the unexpected appearence of the
night herons. The night herons metaphorically represent the primitive
australianness. The poem brilliantly encapsulates a brief moment of the
appearence of the night herons. Despite the brevity of their stay, the birds
trigger powerful nostalgia in the people.
The time referred to is a day after the rain which has brought in a sense of
tranquility. The street mentioned has a bearing of the after-effects of rain. It is
illuminated with the gleam of yellow light. The birds suddenly appear and
march magestically down the road. The beauty of the description surfaces
when the poet personifies the windows being flowered with the eyes of the
excited children looking at the birds.
The news of the birds reaches people at the speed of light. Despite the
assemblage of the curious people, the atmosphere is quiet. The people are
insistent on quietness and 'everyone says “hush”'. When the herons are
marching ahead, the expression of the people grows wilder than the birds.
The birds open up a repertoire of mixed feelings in the women. They go back
to their youth life. This feeling of nostalgia subtly refers the past of the nation.
Conclusively, the herons go away and the poem ends witha note of lights
fading away.
To a Skylark - Percy Bysshe Shelley
P. B. Shelly was a rebel and a reformer. He protested against tyranny and oppression. He wanted to eradicate evils in society, reform and rebuild it. The spirit of rebellion and reform are reflected in his writings. In his poetry, imaginative artistic realization of a high ideal is presented. In ‘To A Skylark’, the skylark and its song serves a symbol for his ideal and vision.
The poem begins with an ecstatic joyous greeting to the skylark. It is addressed as ‘blithe spirit’. The lines bird… emphasizes the spiritual mystical, joyous nature of the bird and its song. According to the poet, the bird is not an ordinary bird, but a celestial divine spirit. The bird must belong to heaven or a higher region close to heaven, it belongs to a world that transcends human experience and thus is a divine creature dwelling in the Higher Realms of Truth. The skylark pours forth its heart in abundant intense notes and songs of ‘unpremeditated art’. This emphasizes the ecstasy, the instinctive, spontaneous natural skill of the bird which can be a greater source of divine inspiration than an acquired human art.
As the bird soars higher and higher the song seems to soar higher. As he listens to the song the poet soars and elevates with the song of the bird. It fills him with ecstasy, the bird seems to spring from earth like a cloud of fire. This emphasizes the radiant brightness of the song. The reddish glow of sunset infuses the bird and its flight. The light and energy of the bird represents the visionary insight and revolutionary fire necessary for poetic composition. The bird in its flight flies across the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea reflects the blue sky above. Therefore the bird and the song cannot be separated. The song and the singer become one in the ecstasy of the song.
Shelley speaks of the setting sun enclosing the bird in a golden aura and glow, and above the bird the clouds brighten. The entire picture presents a sensuous, visual and auditary image of beauty and lyricism. The bird in its ethereal brightness seems to be floating across the sky like an ‘unbodied joy’ whose race and journey has just begun.
The poet continues to present the flight and the nature of the bird. As the bird flies the purple seem to melt and dissolve around the course of its flight. The purple colour emphasizes the grandeur and the splendor of the evening scene. With the setting sun and the bird like the ‘star of heaven’ in broad daylight, which despite its presence in the sky can’t be seen. He then uses the image of the moon which is like the star of heaven remains invisible in the light of the sun. The ‘Silver Sphere’ is used as a metaphor to describe the moon. When the clear dawn approaches the light of the moon intensifies and narrows though the moon cannot be seen.
When the night sky is cloudless, except for one lonely cloud from which the moon rains out her light and the entire sky and heaven overflow with the light of the moon. The song of the bird fills the entire earth and heaven as the moon rains out its beams.
The poet clearly states that with his limited knowledge he cannot understand the nature of the bird. In this pursuit, he tries to understand the meaning of the song of the bird through familiar human experiences. The images he uses are that of the beautiful cloud, a glow and lit by the rainbow and describes the bright radiant drops of rain that flow out from the magnificent rainbow clouds, but the rain of melody that flows out from the presence of the skylark is far brighter than the raindrops.
He uses the image of the inspired poet during poetic composition, full of the light of inspiration to describe the song of the bird. The skylark is compared to the poet singing his hymns spontaneously, instinctively under the force of the divine inspiration unbidden by sympathy, hopes and fear. The divine spiritual ecstasy of the poet thus matches the divine ecstasy of the Skylark’s song. The world listening to the inspired divine songs of the poet are influenced and moved to sympathy and understanding.
He uses the image of a high born lady, sitting in seclusion and solitude in a palace tower, Soothes and comforts her soul with music as delightful as the love that fills her heart. The ecstasy of the song can evoke ecstasy in the heart of the listener. He compares the maiden’s song to the song of the skylark.
He compares the skylark to a glow worm in a valley of dew, scattering and spreading its aerial divine light, though the glow worm remains invisible. The light is spread among the flowers, the grasses which are illuminated by the glow worm, which at the same time screens it. The skylark like the glow worm remains invisible.
The image of a blossomed rose deflowered spreading its fragrance is perhaps the most sensuous and lyrical of those used in the poem. The image of the bower reappears. The green bower formed by green leaves in whose midst the beautiful rose can be seen nestling. The fragrance of the rose is poetically described as being stolen by heavy winged thieves, intoxicated with heavy fragrance of the rose almost feel faint. The thieves could be bees sucking nectar from the rose. The thieves could also be the warm winds which as they deflower the rose steal its fragrance and waft it in the atmosphere and air.
He then uses the image of ‘Vernal Showers’, i.e. showers of spring. The gentle pattering sound of the rain drops coming down on the grass is compared to the song of skylark. The grass is adorned with the twinkling drops of rain. The spirit of the spring with its freshness, vitality, beauty, color, light and joy represents the joy of the skylark’s song. In fact, he says that the song of the bird surpasses and excels the joy, freshness and beauty of all that is known for beauty and joy in human life.
The poet makes a fervalent appeal to the bird to teach him and the mankind, the sweet thoughts that must be behind its ecstatic song. Again he addresses the bird as a spirit. The poet reflects upon feelings and emotions of love or the intoxication of wine which inspire man to a passionate out pouring, These human songs can’t match the flood of rapture, panted forth by the bird.
The poet then mentions other songs of human joy and celebration like ‘triumphal chant’ or ‘chorus hymeanal’, but any such human song matched with the skylark’s song of joy and ecstasy would just be an empty, superficial song. The human songs, however joyous they may be, we can feel some ‘hidden want’, while the bird’s song is one of the perfect joy which is known only to the bird.
The objects he mentions with power to provide inspiration, we find different forms of manifestations of the beauty of nature like fields, waves, mountains, sky or plain. In the human world its only nature in her diverse forms who can provide such divine inspiration. But for the bird, he wonders whether the same forms of nature are the fountains of its happy song..
Further reflecting the perfect joy of the bird Shelley says that ‘with its keen joyance, Languor cannot be’, ‘Shadow of annoyance’, anger or anxiety never came near the bird. While describing the world of the skylark with its state of perfection Shelley also presents an implicitly contrasting picture of the human world and human existence. In human experience joy is always tainted by languor, lack of vitality and life.
Further the poet says that the bird possesses whether in a state of sleep or awakening, a deeper knowledge into the nature of death and the Truth of death that mortal human beings with their limited knowledge fail to understand.
The contrasting picture of human world with that of the birds is presented. Shelley speaks of how human beings constantly look before to the past longing for something, look ahead to the future in anticipation of joy . Mortal human beings in their weakness pine for what is not, in the present moment. He then speaks of the impossibility of pure unalloyed joy. Man’s sincerest laughter is fraught with pain and suffering scorn contempt for others human pride apprehensions which haunt the spirit of man make the human world an imperfect one. If we were things born not to shed a tear man can never come anywhere near perfect joy of the bird.
The last stanza is the emphatic declaration of his faith in the power of the poet and poetry to transform the world. .Harmonious madness refers to poetic frenzy full of harmony without which no poetic composition is possible this is no ordinary madness but the creative frenzy of the poet under divine inspiration ‘The world should listen then ,as I am listening now’. The poet is seen as visionary a prophet and a revolutionary.
The poem begins with an ecstatic joyous greeting to the skylark. It is addressed as ‘blithe spirit’. The lines bird… emphasizes the spiritual mystical, joyous nature of the bird and its song. According to the poet, the bird is not an ordinary bird, but a celestial divine spirit. The bird must belong to heaven or a higher region close to heaven, it belongs to a world that transcends human experience and thus is a divine creature dwelling in the Higher Realms of Truth. The skylark pours forth its heart in abundant intense notes and songs of ‘unpremeditated art’. This emphasizes the ecstasy, the instinctive, spontaneous natural skill of the bird which can be a greater source of divine inspiration than an acquired human art.
As the bird soars higher and higher the song seems to soar higher. As he listens to the song the poet soars and elevates with the song of the bird. It fills him with ecstasy, the bird seems to spring from earth like a cloud of fire. This emphasizes the radiant brightness of the song. The reddish glow of sunset infuses the bird and its flight. The light and energy of the bird represents the visionary insight and revolutionary fire necessary for poetic composition. The bird in its flight flies across the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea reflects the blue sky above. Therefore the bird and the song cannot be separated. The song and the singer become one in the ecstasy of the song.
Shelley speaks of the setting sun enclosing the bird in a golden aura and glow, and above the bird the clouds brighten. The entire picture presents a sensuous, visual and auditary image of beauty and lyricism. The bird in its ethereal brightness seems to be floating across the sky like an ‘unbodied joy’ whose race and journey has just begun.
The poet continues to present the flight and the nature of the bird. As the bird flies the purple seem to melt and dissolve around the course of its flight. The purple colour emphasizes the grandeur and the splendor of the evening scene. With the setting sun and the bird like the ‘star of heaven’ in broad daylight, which despite its presence in the sky can’t be seen. He then uses the image of the moon which is like the star of heaven remains invisible in the light of the sun. The ‘Silver Sphere’ is used as a metaphor to describe the moon. When the clear dawn approaches the light of the moon intensifies and narrows though the moon cannot be seen.
When the night sky is cloudless, except for one lonely cloud from which the moon rains out her light and the entire sky and heaven overflow with the light of the moon. The song of the bird fills the entire earth and heaven as the moon rains out its beams.
The poet clearly states that with his limited knowledge he cannot understand the nature of the bird. In this pursuit, he tries to understand the meaning of the song of the bird through familiar human experiences. The images he uses are that of the beautiful cloud, a glow and lit by the rainbow and describes the bright radiant drops of rain that flow out from the magnificent rainbow clouds, but the rain of melody that flows out from the presence of the skylark is far brighter than the raindrops.
He uses the image of the inspired poet during poetic composition, full of the light of inspiration to describe the song of the bird. The skylark is compared to the poet singing his hymns spontaneously, instinctively under the force of the divine inspiration unbidden by sympathy, hopes and fear. The divine spiritual ecstasy of the poet thus matches the divine ecstasy of the Skylark’s song. The world listening to the inspired divine songs of the poet are influenced and moved to sympathy and understanding.
He uses the image of a high born lady, sitting in seclusion and solitude in a palace tower, Soothes and comforts her soul with music as delightful as the love that fills her heart. The ecstasy of the song can evoke ecstasy in the heart of the listener. He compares the maiden’s song to the song of the skylark.
He compares the skylark to a glow worm in a valley of dew, scattering and spreading its aerial divine light, though the glow worm remains invisible. The light is spread among the flowers, the grasses which are illuminated by the glow worm, which at the same time screens it. The skylark like the glow worm remains invisible.
The image of a blossomed rose deflowered spreading its fragrance is perhaps the most sensuous and lyrical of those used in the poem. The image of the bower reappears. The green bower formed by green leaves in whose midst the beautiful rose can be seen nestling. The fragrance of the rose is poetically described as being stolen by heavy winged thieves, intoxicated with heavy fragrance of the rose almost feel faint. The thieves could be bees sucking nectar from the rose. The thieves could also be the warm winds which as they deflower the rose steal its fragrance and waft it in the atmosphere and air.
He then uses the image of ‘Vernal Showers’, i.e. showers of spring. The gentle pattering sound of the rain drops coming down on the grass is compared to the song of skylark. The grass is adorned with the twinkling drops of rain. The spirit of the spring with its freshness, vitality, beauty, color, light and joy represents the joy of the skylark’s song. In fact, he says that the song of the bird surpasses and excels the joy, freshness and beauty of all that is known for beauty and joy in human life.
The poet makes a fervalent appeal to the bird to teach him and the mankind, the sweet thoughts that must be behind its ecstatic song. Again he addresses the bird as a spirit. The poet reflects upon feelings and emotions of love or the intoxication of wine which inspire man to a passionate out pouring, These human songs can’t match the flood of rapture, panted forth by the bird.
The poet then mentions other songs of human joy and celebration like ‘triumphal chant’ or ‘chorus hymeanal’, but any such human song matched with the skylark’s song of joy and ecstasy would just be an empty, superficial song. The human songs, however joyous they may be, we can feel some ‘hidden want’, while the bird’s song is one of the perfect joy which is known only to the bird.
The objects he mentions with power to provide inspiration, we find different forms of manifestations of the beauty of nature like fields, waves, mountains, sky or plain. In the human world its only nature in her diverse forms who can provide such divine inspiration. But for the bird, he wonders whether the same forms of nature are the fountains of its happy song..
Further reflecting the perfect joy of the bird Shelley says that ‘with its keen joyance, Languor cannot be’, ‘Shadow of annoyance’, anger or anxiety never came near the bird. While describing the world of the skylark with its state of perfection Shelley also presents an implicitly contrasting picture of the human world and human existence. In human experience joy is always tainted by languor, lack of vitality and life.
Further the poet says that the bird possesses whether in a state of sleep or awakening, a deeper knowledge into the nature of death and the Truth of death that mortal human beings with their limited knowledge fail to understand.
The contrasting picture of human world with that of the birds is presented. Shelley speaks of how human beings constantly look before to the past longing for something, look ahead to the future in anticipation of joy . Mortal human beings in their weakness pine for what is not, in the present moment. He then speaks of the impossibility of pure unalloyed joy. Man’s sincerest laughter is fraught with pain and suffering scorn contempt for others human pride apprehensions which haunt the spirit of man make the human world an imperfect one. If we were things born not to shed a tear man can never come anywhere near perfect joy of the bird.
The last stanza is the emphatic declaration of his faith in the power of the poet and poetry to transform the world. .Harmonious madness refers to poetic frenzy full of harmony without which no poetic composition is possible this is no ordinary madness but the creative frenzy of the poet under divine inspiration ‘The world should listen then ,as I am listening now’. The poet is seen as visionary a prophet and a revolutionary.
Monday, March 8, 2010
As the night the day - Abioseh Nicol
The story centers on the relationships and attitudes of boys towards one another and towards their masters. Educational institution is called a temple of learning for it inculcates moral and ethical values but the story shows how it is doing just the opposite. The double standards are adopted according to one’s nationality. Discrimination is based not just on color, creed but it is also based on nationality.
Basu the Syrian is victimized because of his Syrian background. This bias is passed on from the teachers to the students. The breaking of the thermometer is crucial in the story for it unveils the teachers and the boys.
Kojo and Bandele’s curiosity to test the temperature results in the mishap. Kojo is subdued by Bandele not to own up the mistake. Vernier punishes the students for not admitting their mistake. The bible and key game is ironical. A sacred book is misused, but is perceived by Abu as the right method to find out the culprit. The game does not help them to find out the culprit. Kojo, the main culprit is asked to carry on the ceremony. Bandele’s devious mind prompts the class to blame Basu as he was the first to arrive in the school that day. Basu welcomes the wrath of the class. Verniesr’s consolation comforts him but fails to give him the support he needs, for vernier is capable of sententious speech. But in reality he fails to practice it. Basu out of the fear that he would be separated from the rest of the class confesses that he might have broken the thermometer by mistake. Basu is forced to admit the mistake in spite of his innocence and Kojo is suppressed by Abu. Thus, by upholding what is untrue, he believes that it is natural for a Syrian boy to deceive.
The title is ironical because truth does not follow you as the Night follows the Day.
Basu the Syrian is victimized because of his Syrian background. This bias is passed on from the teachers to the students. The breaking of the thermometer is crucial in the story for it unveils the teachers and the boys.
Kojo and Bandele’s curiosity to test the temperature results in the mishap. Kojo is subdued by Bandele not to own up the mistake. Vernier punishes the students for not admitting their mistake. The bible and key game is ironical. A sacred book is misused, but is perceived by Abu as the right method to find out the culprit. The game does not help them to find out the culprit. Kojo, the main culprit is asked to carry on the ceremony. Bandele’s devious mind prompts the class to blame Basu as he was the first to arrive in the school that day. Basu welcomes the wrath of the class. Verniesr’s consolation comforts him but fails to give him the support he needs, for vernier is capable of sententious speech. But in reality he fails to practice it. Basu out of the fear that he would be separated from the rest of the class confesses that he might have broken the thermometer by mistake. Basu is forced to admit the mistake in spite of his innocence and Kojo is suppressed by Abu. Thus, by upholding what is untrue, he believes that it is natural for a Syrian boy to deceive.
The title is ironical because truth does not follow you as the Night follows the Day.
Just Lather That's All - Hernando Tellez
The story explores the conflict between general ideology and professional ethics. The problem of choosing between the two is beautifully handled. The barber’s dilemma pervades through the story and eventually he succeeds in making the right choice. The story focuses on the ethics of the barber and the ideology of a true rebel. The barber is proud of the precision and perfection he maintains while dealing with his customers. He is a skilled barber who does his job perfectly without allowing even a tiny pore to open and issue forth its pearl of blood.
The captain comes to test the barber for he knows he is a conscientious barber and that he would find it hard to kill. The captain is true to his profession. He enters the shop as a customer and not as an authoritative officer. He presents himself as a defenseless customer. The barber debates with his conscience. His conscience gives him both versions of the result of the killing of the captain. Some may hail him as the true rebel and some may call him a coward for having killed an unarmed captain. He ultimately overcomes the temptation to kill the captain. The barber thinks in terms of violence and bloodshed but decides not to sacrifice his principles and ideals to fulfill the cause of the rebels.
The true ideology of a rebel is to fight for a cause. He would kill an enemy in the battlefield and not in his shop. The barber ultimately understands that his job is to prepare the lather and nothing more than that. The barber at the end has just lather in his hand and not blood or stain.
The title “Just Lather That’s All” refers to his profession that it is just lather nothing more matters to him.
The captain comes to test the barber for he knows he is a conscientious barber and that he would find it hard to kill. The captain is true to his profession. He enters the shop as a customer and not as an authoritative officer. He presents himself as a defenseless customer. The barber debates with his conscience. His conscience gives him both versions of the result of the killing of the captain. Some may hail him as the true rebel and some may call him a coward for having killed an unarmed captain. He ultimately overcomes the temptation to kill the captain. The barber thinks in terms of violence and bloodshed but decides not to sacrifice his principles and ideals to fulfill the cause of the rebels.
The true ideology of a rebel is to fight for a cause. He would kill an enemy in the battlefield and not in his shop. The barber ultimately understands that his job is to prepare the lather and nothing more than that. The barber at the end has just lather in his hand and not blood or stain.
The title “Just Lather That’s All” refers to his profession that it is just lather nothing more matters to him.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
What is Beauty - Will Durant
The essay is a contemplative perspective about the concept of beauty. The author W.J.Durant is not definitive about the meaning of the concept, instead he believes that the meaning is subjective and can be apparently understood as anything that please a man. The aura of beauty may appeal the beholds at physical, emotional and spiritual levels.
Durant likens the pleasure of beauty to the sublime a couple may desire for each other. In addition, beauty may also lie in the art of love making, the color coordination, dance, music, pottery etc.
The essay in the subsequent paragraphs does a survey of the development of the concept of beauty through age. In the primitive era, in the Australian continent, men had monopolized the art of adorning themselves with ornaments. The men would also point the entire body as some festive occasions. It could be to attract a women or for personal gratification. In some tribes the sailors would paint their nails and teeth too. Some tribal women even carried their dressing cases with them.
The Greeks took the art of adorning the body to a greater extent. They preferred permanence of beautification of the bodies through tattooing. They almost embroidered their skin. Earrings and nose-ring were considered not just as beauty maskers but cultural too.
In fact, the ravage in the part has no concept of nudity. When Darwin gave some tribal’s a piece of cloth to cover their nudity, they tore it into pieces and used it as ornaments. Durant feels that from the beginning both sexes have preferred ornaments to clothing. The obsession for ornaments was such that, at times the weight of the ornaments would tire the Congo women. They hired attendants to far them during such time.
Apart from self-love, the impulse to beauty is reflected in certain other ways like beautifying things. Pottery was the major source for the tribes of South Africa. If some painted pots some painted their huts. They often painted the pictures of animals which they wish to chase down. The Eskimos would carve ivory into figure of animals some paintings would indicate on object of worship or the dead.
The author also touches upon the history of architecture. In fact architecture is nothing but beautifying the house/building. In the part the building would be sublimated in reverence of the dead or gods gradually the concept of beauty got reflected in other cultural factors like song, dance and music. Most festival was celebrated with chanting and dancing. Instrumental music seems to have been triggered by dance. The primitive man eventually developed advanced musical instruments like trumpets and flutes. This lead to the creation of drama and the opera. The dances reflected both sexual expression as well as more serious expressions like mourning.
Thus D wants to say that we own our modern culture to the savages who created the base of it. All nodes of economic life have their origin in the primitive life of man. The primitive man developed language, culture, medicine and literature.
Hence it has been a long journey from the stage of savagery to refinement.
Durant likens the pleasure of beauty to the sublime a couple may desire for each other. In addition, beauty may also lie in the art of love making, the color coordination, dance, music, pottery etc.
The essay in the subsequent paragraphs does a survey of the development of the concept of beauty through age. In the primitive era, in the Australian continent, men had monopolized the art of adorning themselves with ornaments. The men would also point the entire body as some festive occasions. It could be to attract a women or for personal gratification. In some tribes the sailors would paint their nails and teeth too. Some tribal women even carried their dressing cases with them.
The Greeks took the art of adorning the body to a greater extent. They preferred permanence of beautification of the bodies through tattooing. They almost embroidered their skin. Earrings and nose-ring were considered not just as beauty maskers but cultural too.
In fact, the ravage in the part has no concept of nudity. When Darwin gave some tribal’s a piece of cloth to cover their nudity, they tore it into pieces and used it as ornaments. Durant feels that from the beginning both sexes have preferred ornaments to clothing. The obsession for ornaments was such that, at times the weight of the ornaments would tire the Congo women. They hired attendants to far them during such time.
Apart from self-love, the impulse to beauty is reflected in certain other ways like beautifying things. Pottery was the major source for the tribes of South Africa. If some painted pots some painted their huts. They often painted the pictures of animals which they wish to chase down. The Eskimos would carve ivory into figure of animals some paintings would indicate on object of worship or the dead.
The author also touches upon the history of architecture. In fact architecture is nothing but beautifying the house/building. In the part the building would be sublimated in reverence of the dead or gods gradually the concept of beauty got reflected in other cultural factors like song, dance and music. Most festival was celebrated with chanting and dancing. Instrumental music seems to have been triggered by dance. The primitive man eventually developed advanced musical instruments like trumpets and flutes. This lead to the creation of drama and the opera. The dances reflected both sexual expression as well as more serious expressions like mourning.
Thus D wants to say that we own our modern culture to the savages who created the base of it. All nodes of economic life have their origin in the primitive life of man. The primitive man developed language, culture, medicine and literature.
Hence it has been a long journey from the stage of savagery to refinement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)