Philosophical Themes of Waiting for Godot : Then and Now Comprehension

 

Assignment 

Name : Latta J. Baraiya 

Roll no : 11

Paper : The Twentieth Century Literature : From World War || to the End of the Century 

Semester : M.A sem 2

Topic : Philosophical Themes in Waiting For Godot : Then and Now Comprehension

Submitted to : Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English MKBU 

Introduction 

In spite of the fact that humans have inhabited the Earth for centuries, they still know relatively little about the world that surrounds them. There are numerous questions left to be answered ranging from the ones focusing on the sense of existence, up to those raising the subject of the inevitability of death, and the reality that needs to be accepted is that some of them are bound to remain a mystery until the end of time. Certainly, people have always been looking for something to believe in, something that would convince them that life is not absurd in its purest form and that everything that happens has some sort of meaning. The 21st century proved to be of great importance as, after experiencing the damaging impact of war, the perception and values of the majority changed, making them question everything that they had faith in. This very alteration was later reflected in the works of many prominent artists, including those who were thought to be the representatives of the Theatre of the Absurd. Here we can discuss Beckett's Waiting for Godot and compare it with how they are perceived today.

•Samuel Buckett•

Buckett is an Irish playwright, a literary translator, a poet and a theatre director, born on April 13, 1906, into a protestant middle class family. His interest in foreign languages as well as his love for the French language led him to obtain his degree in 1927 in Trinity College in Dublin. There were many different factors that had a lasting impact on both Beckett, as well as his works and the experience of going through the Second World War was undoubtedly one of them. Furthermore, most of his life consisted of travelling which was a source of life-changing experiences to him and a peculiar way of distancing himself from the family problems that would continue to affect him throughout his life, eventually leading to his depression.

 

•Waiting For Godot : Plot overview•

Waiting for Godot is frequently described as a play in which 

“nothing happens”

The play itself is about two trumps: Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo) who are waiting for the arrival of Mr. Godot. From time to time, they talk with each other, however their discussions are not very detailed and the only thing that they truly know is that they are waiting for Godot who might never arrive. There are also times when they want to leave but the pointless waiting is what makes them stay. Two trumps get to know two new characters: Pozzo and his Slave lucky who stay with them for a while and, as Pozzo engages in a conversation with Didi and Gogo, he tells them that he wants to sell Lucky, he also mistreats him in front of the two tramps and blames him for his state of mind. Lucky is later used for entertainment as he dances for them and, after losing his hat, he performs a monologue which sounds extremely academically although it is entwined with strange sounds. Pozzo gives a command to “think” and after they both depart, a boy messenger comes to Vladimir and Estragon to tell them that Godot will not arrive today, but surely will tomorrow. Vladimir asks some questions about Godot and when the boy leaves, they decide to leave, too, but they stay still. 

It can be stated that everything that happens in the first act is mirrored into the second one. Two trumps are again in the same place, Lucky and Pozzo appear again, with the difference that Pozzo is now blind and Lucky has become dumb. Pozzo does not react to his own name and he also does not recall meeting neither Vladimir nor Estragon and as the two exit, two trumps still keep waiting for Godot. The boy messenger appears again to once again convey a message that Godot will not appear, and just as Pozzo – he does not remember talking to Vladimir the other day. After the boy exits, Didi and Gogo consider committing a suicide but they have no possibility to do it without rope so, once again, they decide to leave, but they stay still.

 

•Waiting For Godot and philosophical themes of freedom, uncertainty and meaninglessness•

In the following section Beckettian view is to be contrasted with how those very themes are  perceived by people nowadays, pointing out some of the similarities as well as differences in the conducted analysis. 

 

Freedom

Although the characters seem to possess infinite freedom, one almost immediately comes to the realisation that, in this scenario, the notion of freedom is nothing but an illusion: the characters are technically free to do as they wish, but they choose to remain in the prison of their own making. Everyone is both stagnant as well as passive, and the specific trait which they share is their striking inability to act. Two trumps, the master and his slave, the messenger boy, all of the characters meet the same fate and there is no significance when it comes to their social status or age, as the master is no different than his slave. In fact, the paradox of this situation lies in the fact that the slave might be the one the closest to freedom than any of the other characters would ever be able to get, since he is the only one aware of his imprisonment. His position can be described as the most favourable one, as he does not need to take responsibility for any of his actions because he is told precisely what to do, unlike the rest. In this case, it can be stated that each of them is equal in terms of their enslavement for how Lucky's enslavement to Pozzo really differs from Vladimir and Gogo’s enslavement to their very concept of Godot? With this theoretical freedom there comes a confinement one cannot be truly free being tied to things, people, ideas or hopes. 

In this way, Vladimir and Estragon are tied to the unknown Mr. Godot around whom the lives of two trumps perpetually revolve, making waiting for him one of the reasons for their very imprisonment in spite of being free. Similarly, they are tied to the place in which they wait, even though they keep coming there without any certainty whatsoever that this is, in fact, the right place to wait for the mysterious man. Imprisoned by their hopes and the image of Godot created in their minds, they are willing to sacrifice their freedom once again for if he doesn’t come, they will come back the next day:

Vladimir: A - What are you insinuating? That we've come to the wrong place? 

Estragon: He should be here. 

Vladimir: He didn't say for sure he'd come. 

Estragon: And if he doesn't come? 

Vladimir: We'll come back tomorrow. 

•Freedom in Today's Context•

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, one of the most popular definitions of freedom is 

“the condition or right of being able or allowed to do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited”. 

Nowadays, the nature of the concept of freedom can still be denoted as rather complex because theoretically humans are free to do as they wish, but since they are social animals their very actions need to be in accordance with what is expected of them. 

Today people are nothing but slaves to a system imposing certain behaviours on them, slaves to the expectations of others and also of visions which they created in their own heads. How can one know whether he is really free? Is it yet another paradox and an illusion in its purest form? It might seem that modern life and real freedom are thoroughly incompatible, since modern times are what makes us imprisoned. 

Uncertainty

An indisputable fact that should be mentioned is that the theme of uncertainty permeates the whole  play; apparently, not only the characters are overwhelmed by the incapacitating feeling that there is nothing that they can be certain of, but it also can be noticed in terms of action, setting, plot and time. The plot itself, apart from being almost non-existent, is yet another thing which contributes to strengthening the feeling of uncertainty, since one realises that a sequence of a cause and effect is an alien notion, indeed. Everything that happens is done either to pass the time or relieve the feeling of  boredom and the words mean nothing, as they do not correspond with actions of the characters. As  previously mentioned, the uncertainty also pertains to the characters themselves as, from the very  beginning, they make it obvious that they have no idea what they should be doing. For those reasons two vagabonds unendingly wait for Godot, hoping that he will provide them with some kind of certainty, making the whole act of waiting a peculiar metaphor of trying to find some meaning in life.  

Not only is it hard for the reader or the audience to find any information about the location, but the characters also have no idea whatsoever where they really are. In this connection, the question that arises is how can they be sure if they are precisely where they are supposed to be, since they do not  possess any knowledge about their current whereabouts? Uncertainty strikes everyone down from the very beginning, concerning not only significant but also trivial things.

Estragon: (despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You're sure it was here?

Vladimir: What? 

Estragon: That we were to wait. 

Vladimir: He said by the tree. (They look at the tree.) Do you see any others? 

Estragon: What is it? 

Vladimir: I don't know. A willow.

 •Uncertainty in Today's Context• 

Invariably, the uncertainty is as ubiquitous as ever, making many people question their choices, their existence, as well as the things they believe in. Uncertainty pertains to each area of life, since nothing is ever certain. In spite of the technological progress which enabled us to get to know some of the secrets of our planet and our lives, there are still many issues which remain shrouded in mystery. 

It could come across as foolish to state that there is anything that one can be truly certain of, for even the course of events of the following day is a mystery yet to be revealed. Life is filled with uncertainty and there is nothing that can be done but to learn how to live with it, while not letting it affect one’s well-being. Nowadays, the uncertainty in general takes its toll especially on people’s mental health, frequently being one of the main reasons for depression, anxiety and panic attacks. There are countless threats awaiting around each corner, ranging from the threat of a nuclear war, going through climate change, up to pandemic. Just as in Beckett’s world human beings today also cannot be freed from this feeling and the reaction can be denoted as similar when it comes to the matter of experiencing it. 

Nothingness

It can be stated that Waiting for Godot is an ideal example of a play in which the theme of nothingness is of great significance and is fantastically reflected in terms of both, content and form. Undeniably, throughout the whole play, one gets the impression that nothing happens and characters are incapable of taking any action which keeps them in the claws of nothingness. Nevertheless, another paradox which appears is that nothing enables the creation of everything. Since in Beckett’s point of view both form and content should be complementary, in this very play they are both built on the sense of nothingness. While taking a closer look at other components, it becomes clear that creation of each character only strengthens the idea of the ‘nothingness’ being the source of creation. For setting, characters, themes, dialogues and even specific patterns of behaviour or activities are being ruled by nothingness which  prevails in the life of a human being. The life of characters is empty, they do nothing except for waiting and talking about things which are meaningless, just to pass their time. Not only is there no plot, no information about the characters, about the place in which they stay, but there is also a general lack of communication between the characters.

It cannot be called into question that nothingness, meaninglessness and repetitiveness are all strictly connected and they simply complement each other. And so it happens, that meaningless events ruled by nothingness are being repeated by being mirrored from the first, to the second act. Vladimir and Estragon are in the same place, discussing committing suicide, engaging in meaningless conversations, meeting Pozzo and Lucky, receiving an identical message from the messenger boy and, most importantly, repeating their empty words about leaving the place, while they stand still. Two trumps are utterly  paralysed by their inability to move, depriving themselves of a chance to give meaning to their words and, finally, take an action. 

1st act: 

ESTRAGON: Well, shall we go? 

VLADIMIR: Yes, let's go. They do not move.  

2nd act: 

Vladimir: Well? Shall we go? 

Estragon: Yes, let's go. They do not move. 

•Nothingness In Today's Time• 

Taking a closer look at the notions of nothingness, meaninglessness and repetitiveness is there a  place for any of those in the 21st century? In the world of Waiting for Godot, all of them seem to be unavoidable as they constantly keep on affecting the lives of characters on a daily basis making them miserable, which can be contrasted with what the modern world has to offer today. It seems that nowadays to find a meaning becomes a paramount goal to be achieved in life. Thanks to positive psychology becoming omnipresent and easily accessible, everyone is now able to deepen their knowledge about human nature, how to find the meaning to their existence and make their lives meaningful as well. As can be noticed, the modern approach wants one to believe in his strength and countless possibilities waiting for him. A modern human being should have some hope and put an end to habits which might contribute to bringing themselves down. 

Apparently, there is no place for meaninglessness, especially if one wants to lead a truly happy life and create his own meaning. Interestingly, when it comes to the scientific perception of the notion of nothingness, it proves that nothing indeed, can create everything - for even atoms creating the atomic matter are mostly empty spaces. Nothingness obtains a thoroughly new meaning and can be perceived in a brand new way as it  becomes a source of creation which is in a state of constant change, reminding everyone of its impermanence as it comes and goes. For this very reason Lawrence Krauss, an American-Canadian

physicist says that 

“nothing is the most important part of the universe”. 

Since nothingness does not have to be associated with a negative force affecting one’s life, it is worth to cast some light on how it might contribute to improving people’s lives today. While Vladimir and Estragon were tormented by nothingness and doing nothing, nowadays people frequently find themselves in need to find a way out from their daily problems, exhausting routines and there are times when doing nothing makes it possible for them to take a breath and completely reprogramme their thoughts. Doing nothing was proven to decrease stress levels, clear mind, increase productivity and most importantly discover what makes one truly happy. While repetitiveness is still present today and might bring out virtually the same emotions as it did in the case of two trumps, these days many hold onto it as it provides them with some kind of security which they need in the world, where everyone lives in a pace so fast that changes are often traded for stability.

Conclusion

Waiting for Godot, along with many other absurd plays, such as Endgame (1957) or Happy Days (1961), reflected not only the peculiar views of their authors, but also the philosophy which had a lasting impact on the points of view of many. A thing that needs to be accepted is that the mystery of existence as well as the fears connected with it will never truly leave one’s side and will also never cease to affect him. While analysing the philosophy of existentialism it becomes obvious that human’s existence Indeed, might be absurd in its purest form and although the philosophy offers different solutions which could greatly facilitate dealing with this problem even if to some extent, the crushing weight of one’s existence invariably complicates any attempts to overcome it. Since there is no possibility to bring an end to the surrounding absurd as it is irreversibly linked with the human experience, a man has no choice but to simply accept it and although such a vision might come across as a truly disheartening one, it has a potential to become the greatest weapon that one might possess just as it is proved through many approaches nowadays. This very weapon has a potential of bringing one closer to happiness, as with the desired approach, he will not perceive the situation he finds himself in as an utter defeat, but in spite of knowing that meaninglessness is staring right into his eyes, he might truly begin to live through acceptance, making his own attempt to find the meaning and taking the fight. 

Drama of twentieth century

 

Assignment 

Name : Latta J. Baraiya 

Roll no : 11

Paper : History of English Literature - From 1900 to 2000

Semester : M.A sem 2

Topic : Drama of the twentieth  century

Submitted to : Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English MKBU 

Introduction 

“Over time the desire to unsettle, to shock, even to alienate the audience became one hallmark of modern drama.” (Greenblatt 5)

Twentieth Century British theatre is commonly believed to have started in Dublin, Ireland with the foundation of the Irish Literary Theater by William B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, and J.M. Synge. (Greenblatt 1843) Their purpose was to provide a specifically Celtic and Irish venue that produced works that “stage[d] the deeper emotions of Ireland.” (The Abbey’s) The playwrights of the Irish Literary Theater (which later became the Abbey Theater, as it is known today) were part of the literary revival and included: Sean O’Casey, J.M. Synge, W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn, to name a few. 

The early twentieth century denoted the split between ‘frocks and frills’ drama and serious works, following in the footsteps of many other European countries. 

“In Britain the impact of these continental innovations was delayed by a conservative theatre establishment until the late 1950s and 1960s when they converged with the counter-cultural revolution to transform the nature of English language theatre.” 

The West End, England’s Broadway, tended to produce the musical comedies and well-made plays, while smaller theatres and Irish venues took a new direction. The new direction was political, satirical, and rebellious. Common themes in the new early 20th century drama were political, reflecting the unease or rebellion of the workers against the state, philosophical, delving into the who and why of human life and existence, and revolutionary, exploring the themes of colonization and loss of territory. They explored common societal business practices (conditions of factories), new political ideologies (socialism), or the rise of a repressed sector of the population (women). Industrialization also had an impact on Twentieth century drama, resulting in plays lamenting the alienation of humans in an increasingly mechanical world. 

Trends

∆Realism and Myth :-

Sigmund Freud inspired an interest in myth and dreams as playwrights became familiar with his studies of psychoanalysis. Along with the help of Carl Jung, the two psychiatrists influenced playwrights to incorporate myths into their plays. This integration allowed for new opportunities for playwrights to increase the boundaries of realism within their writing. As playwrights started to use myths in their writing, a “poetic form of realism” was created. This form of realism deals with truths that are widespread amongst all humans, bolstered by Carl Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious.

∆Poetic Realism :-

Much of the poetic realism that was written during the beginning of the twentieth century focused on the portrayals of Irish peasant life. John Millington Synge, W.B. Yeats, and Lady Gregory were but a few writers to use poetic realism. Their portrayal of peasant life was often unappealing and many audiences reacted cruelly. Many plays that are poetically realistic often have unpleasant themes running through them, such as lust between a son and his step-mother or the murder of a baby to “prove” love. These plays used myths as a surrogate for real life in order to allow the audience to live the unpleasant plot without completely connecting to it.

∆Women :-

The female characters progressed from the downtrodden, useless woman to an empowered, emancipated woman. They were used to to pose subversive questions about the social order. Many female characters portray the author’s masculine attitudes about women and their place in society. As time passed, though, females began to gain empowerment. G.B. Shaw became one of the first English playwrights to follow Ibsen’s influence and create roles of real women. Mrs. Warren, Major Barbara, and Pygmalion all have strong female leads. Women first started voting in 1918. Later in the century, females (and males) were both subjected to the alienation of society and routinely were not given names to suggest to the audience the character’s worth within the play.

∆Political Theatre and War :-

Political theatre uses the theatre to represent 

“how a social or political order uses its power to ‘represent’ others coercively.” 

It uses live performances and often shows the power of politics through “demeaning and limiting” prejudices. Political theatre often represents many different types of groups that are often stereotyped “women, gay men, lesbians, ethnic and racial groups, [and] the poor.” Political theatre is used to express one’s political ideas. Agitprop, a popular form of political theatre, even had its roots in the 1930s women’s rights movement. Propaganda played a big role in political theater, whether it be in support of a war or in opposition of political schemes, theater played a big role in influencing the public. 

The wars also affected the early theatre of the twentieth century. The consternation before WWI produced the Dada movement, the predecessor to Surrealism and Expressionism. 

Types of Modern Drama

∆Realism :-

Realism, in theater, was meant to be a direct observation of human behavior. It began as a way to make theater more useful to society, a way to hold a mirror up to society. Because of this thrust towards the “real” playwrights started using more contemporary settings, backgrounds and characters. Where plays in the past had, for the most part, used mythological or stereotypical characters, now they involved the lower class, the poor, the rich; they involved all genders, classes and races. One of the main contributors to this style was Henrik Ibsen.

∆Social Realism :-

Social Realism began showing up in plays during the 1930s. This realism had a political conscience behind it because the world was in a depression. These plays painted a harsh picture of rural poverty. The drama began to aim at showing governments the penalties of unrestrained capitalism and the depressions that lax economies created. One of the main contributors to this style was G.B. Shaw.

∆Avant Garde Theatre :-

“Dramatic truth couldn’t be found in the tangibleness of realistic drama, but in symbols, images, legends, myths, fantasies, and dreams” (Klaus)

∆Absurdist Drama :-

Absurdist Drama was existentialist theatre which put a direct perception of a mode of being above all abstract considerations. It was also essentially a poetic, lyrical theatre for the expression of intuitions of being through movement, situations and concrete imagery. Language was generally downplayed. (Barnet) Symbolism, Dadaism and their offspring, Surrealism, Theatre of Cruelty, and Expressionism all fall into this category.

∆Dadaism :-

Dadaism, or Dada, was a reaction against WWI. Like many of the movements, Dada included writing, painting and poetry as well as theatre. Many Dadaists wrote manifestos detailing their beliefs, which normally outlined their disgust in colonialism and nationalism and tried to be the opposite of the the current aesthetics and values. The more Dada offended, the better. It was considered to be (by Dadaists), the ‘anti-art’. It rejected the values of society and turned everything on its head, preferring to disgust and offend.

∆Symbolism/Aestheticism :-

In England, Symbolism was also known as Aestheticism. A very stylized format of drama, wherein dreams and fantasies were common plot devices, Aestheticism was used by numerous playwrights from Yeats to Pinter. The staging was highly stylized, usually using minimal set pieces and vague blocking. While the playwrights who could be considered Aestheticists lived and worked at the beginning of the century, it influenced all of the following styles.

∆Surrealism :-

Like Aestheticism, Surrealism has its base in the mystical. It developed the physicality of theatre and downplayed words, hoping to influence its audiences through action. Other common characteristics of surreal plays are unexpected comparisons and surprise. The most famous British playwright in the 20s surrealist style is Samuel Beckett. Theatre of Cruelty is a subset of surrealism and was motivated by an idea of Antonin Artaud. It argues the idea that theatre is a “representational medium” and tried to bring current ideas and experiences to the audience through participation and “ritualistic theater experiments.” Artaud thought that theatre should present and represent equally. This type of theatre relies deeply on metaphors and rarely included a description of how it could be performed.

∆Expressionism :-

The term ‘Expressionism’ was first coined in Germany in 1911. Expressionism also had its hey-day during the 20s although it had two distinct branches. The branches had characters speaking in short, direct sentences or in long, lyrical expanses. This type of theatre usually did not name the characters and spent much time lamenting the present and warning against the future. Spiritual awakenings and episodic structures were also fairly common.

∆Epic Theatre :-

Epic theater was created by Bertold Brecht who rejected realistic theatre. He found that such plays were too picture-perfect. Epic Theatre is based on Greek Epic poetry. There are dramatic illusions such as

 

“stark, harsh lighting, blank stages, placards announcing changes of scenes, bands playing music onstage, and long, discomfiting pauses” 

(Jacobus). 

Brecht believed that drama should be made within its audiences and he thought that Epic Theatre drama would reinforce the realities that people were facing rather than challenge them. Epic Theatre helped to preserve the social issues that they portrayed. 

Famous Plays 

Probably the most famous plays of the theater of the absurd are Eugene Ionesco's Bald Soprano (1950) and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (1953). The sources of the theater of the absurd are diverse; they can be found in the tenets of surrealism, Dadaism, and existentialism, in the traditions of the music hall, vaudeville, and burlesque; and in the films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Playwrights whose works can be roughly classed as belonging to the theater of the absurd are Jean Genet (French), Max Frisch and Friedrich Durrenmatt (Swiss), Fernando Arrabal (Spanish), and the early plays of Edward Albee (American). The pessimism and despair of the 20th cent. also found expression in the existentialist dramas of Jean-Paul Sartre, in the realistic and symbolic dramas of Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Jean Anouilh, and in the surrealist plays of Jean Cocteau.

Somewhat similar to the theater of the absurd is the so-called theater of cruelty, derived from the ideas of Antonin Artaud, who, writing in the 1930s, foresaw a drama that would assault its audience with movement and sound, producing a visceral rather than an intellectual reaction. After the violence of World War II and the subsequent threat of the atomic bomb, his approach seemed particularly appropriate to many playwrights. Elements of the theater of cruelty can be found in the brilliantly abusive language of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger (1956) and Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), in the ritualistic aspects of some of Genet's plays, in the masked utterances and enigmatic silences of Harold Pinter's comedies of menace, and in the orgiastic abandon of Julian Beck's Paradise Now! (1968), it was fully expressed in Peter Brook's production of Peter Weiss's Marat/Sade (1964).

During the last third of the 20th cent. a few continental European dramatists, such as Dario Fo in Italy and Heiner Muller in Germany, stand out in the theater world. However, for the most part, the countries of the continent saw an emphasis on creative trends in directing rather than a flowering of new plays. In the United States and England, however, many dramatists old and new continued to flourish, with numerous plays of the later decades of the 20th cent. (and the early 21st cent.) echoing the trends of the years preceding them.

Realism in a number of guises psychological, social, and political continued to be a force in such British works as David Storey's Home (1971), Sir Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests trilogy (1974), and David Hare's Amy's View (1998), in such Irish dramas as Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa (1990) and Martin McDonagh's 1990s Leenane trilogy, and in such American plays as Jason Miller's That Championship Season (1972), Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly (1979), and John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation (1990). In keeping with the tenor of the times, many of these and other works of the period were marked by elements of wit, irony, and satire. 

Conclusion 

Throughout the century realism, naturalism, and symbolism (and various combinations of these) continued to inform important plays. Among the many 20th-century playwrights who have written what can be broadly termed naturalist dramas are Gerhart Hauptmann (German), John Galsworthy (English), John Millington Synge and Sean O'Casey (Irish), and Eugene O'Neill, Clifford Odets, and Lillian Hellman (American). 

Auden's poem

Hello friends,

In this blog I want to talk about W. H. Auden and his poems.  Waystan Hugh Auden was born on February 21, 1907 in York, England.  As a young man he was influenced by the poetry of Thomas Hardy and Robert Frost, as well as William Black, Emily Dickinson, Gerard Mardley Hopkins and Old English Verses.  His collection of poems was published privately in 1928, but it was not until 1930, when another collection of poems was published that Auden founded a new pay generation. 

Basically Auden has a lot of collection of poems, but we are concerned with his these three poems.

•  September 1, 1939

•  In memory of WB Yates

•  Epitaph on a tyrant

So let’s discuss these poems related to activity questions

*Which lines of September 1, 1939 do you like the most?  Why ?

W. H. Auden's "September 1, 1939" collection of poets was first published in the October 18, 1939 edition of The New Republic, before being included in Under Time.  Written on the outbreak of World War ||  The poem is full of feelings of fear and uncertainty in the face of fascism and war, as well as the ambiguity of optimism that people can come together to confront dictatorship.  It is one of the greatest poems of the 20th century, ironically, however, the poet himself grew up.  Although his poems are scattered, 'September 1, 1939' is a text on which people change in times of crisis, including the famous after September 11, 2001.

I like these line of poetry,

 There is no universal love

 But to love alone.

This art of poetry refers to the love story of Nijinsky and Diagelev.  Nijinsky was remembered as a god like God.  She will dance like a girl!  Whereas, Diagilev himself has remained a mystery.  They both work together and they can be seen as lovers.  But things change when Nijinsky goes to marry Romola de Pulsky.  This has caused a lot of damage to Diagelev.  He then started beating up Nijinsky and even tried to destroy Nijinsky's life and career.  Nijinsky then began writing diaries.  So here in this verse he is referring to it.  Here in these lines the speaker wants to say about the meaningless propaganda championed by so-called Important People is not nearly as indecent as our own desires.  What the ballet dancer Nijinsky wrote about his lover Diaghilev is true for everyone.The fundamental human flaw is that we all want what we cannot have: love for ourselves and ourselves only, rather than universal love that benefits everyone.

We are so selfish. Man and woman all have desire for what they haven't. They not setisfied with what they have. We first sees our benefit, then others. Now days people are also do something for only themselves. If there is happening something bad with somebody, people think that it's their problem, not ours ! there is fine poem which I want to recite here,

First they came for socialist 

And I did not speak out 

Because I was not socialist

Then they came for trade unianist

And u did not speak our

Because I was not trade unianist

Then they came for the Jues

And I did not speak out

Because I was not Jue

Then they came for me

Then there was no one left to speak for me !!!

Thus, the poem indicates selfishness of people. As we know that, people's love is not for all but it's only for themselves and some for their family members and relatives, with whom they wanted to be loved.

* What's so special about 'In Memory of W. B. Yeats'?

‘In Memory of W. B. Yeats’ by W. H. Auden (1907-73) was written in 1939, following the death of the Irish poet W. B. Yeats in January of that year. As well as being an elegy for the dead poet, ‘In Memory of W. B. Yeats’ is also a meditation on the role and place of poetry in the modern world. The another thing about poem is Auden honors two traditions here: Yeats and the elegy and he tries to move the latter toward something new, expanded.  At traditional English ode is "typically a lyrical verse written in praise of, or dedicated to someone or something which captures the poet's interest or serves as an inspiration for the ode."

Auden says that Yeats' art lives on, as if it is an autonomous, living thing now detached from its host. According to Norton anthology :

"Poems about death tend to be concerned not just with loss, but also with what remains after a man or a woman dies. Elizabethan sonnets, like those of Spenser or Shakespeare, often take this idea of something persisting after death and use it in the context of an imagined dialogue between lovers, rather than in relation to an actual death: the lover promises his beloved that even though she must die, she will live on forever in his verses. In the elegy, that living-on after death may be thought of in religious terms, or perhaps in terms of cherished memory, or it may make itself felt by changing those who remain, transforming despair into the resolve to go on with life. This last possibility is what Tennyson's poem, "Ulysses," is all about."

Auden's poem draws on all these traditions as it focuses just on that moment when the words of a poet must begin to live on after his death. The poem which Auden writes is the first step in preserving Yeats the poet. But most important, Auden understands this process of poetic after life as taking place entirely within history.

* Is there any contemporary relevance of 'Epitaph on tyrant'?

‘Epitaph on a Tyrant’ is one of Auden’s short masterpieces. In just six lines, W. H. Auden (1907-73) manages to say so much about the nature of tyranny. W. H. Auden spent some time in Berlin during the 1930s, and it was here that he probably wrote ‘Epitaph on a Tyrant’, which was published in 1939, the year that the Second World War broke out. The specific tyrant Auden had in mind, then, was probably Adolf Hitler, though the poem can be analysed as a study in tyranny more generally, too. 

In today's time we can find many tyrant like Hitler. In politics there are many leaders who sees themselves as psychopathic god ! If we talk about the previous, (45th) president of America, Donald Trump was also fit in this catagory of tyrant. He uses many ways of political violence in US.  

If we compare Hitler and Donald Trump we can see that, Both were masters of mass communication. Hitler mastered beer hall oration, then newspapers, and then the new medium of radio. Donald Trump mastered television and then was one of the first leaders to master Twitter and other social media. Adolf Hitler had Asperger’s, with poor social skills, singular obsessions with conspiracy theories, and an intolerance of anyone who disagreed with him. His deepest need was to be seen as a genius. Donald Trump has narcissism, with odd social skills, belief in conspiracy theories, and an intolerance of people who disagree with him. His deepest need is for admiration and support of his grandiose sense of self-importance. So we can say that Trump is called tyrant.

Thank you.

Thinking Activity on W. B. Yeats - poems

 

Hello readers,

Welcome to my blog. After completing any particular unit, our professor dr. Dilip Barad sir gives us a task about that unit. So this is the task on W. B. Yeats poems. 

William Butler Yeats is often considered one of the finest poets in the English language. He was born in Dublin, Ireland to Irish-Protestant parents. His father was a painter who influenced the poets’ thoughts about art. Yeats’s mother shared with him her interest in folklore, and astrology. He won the Nobel Prize in literature. Yeats died in France in 1939. Yeats developed a lifelong interest in occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activities, which displayed through his poetry and writings. During the early period of his life W.B. Yeats was intent on becoming a considerable literary figure, and by the end of his life many considered him as one of the outstanding poets who had ever lived. The origin of his poetry has outlined by the British poet, Edwin Muir, as 

“a magnificent temperament associated with a magnificent style” 

(Safier 928). 

W. B. Yeats is well known for his two war poems. The first is "The Second Coming" and the other one is "On Being Asked For a War Poem". Both poems indicated that war is the way of our annihilation. Basically Yeats doesn't like wars, he is against world wars. So let's talk about both poems in detail. 

◆The Second Coming◆

William Butler Yeats began his poem, "The Second Coming" in 1919 right after World War One. It is important to note that Yeats did not believe in Christianity. Magic and occult theories are important elements in Yeats’s work. Yeats created an imaginary but believable religion that was cyclical. In “The Second Coming” Yeats shows us a vision full of apocalyptic, ritualistic and mystical symbolism. Here is the full poem… 

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

We can read this poem in three different contexts. 

• The first is political context

• The second is religious context

• The third is as pandemic poem

Here is the reference of 1918–1919 Spanish flu pandemic. In the weeks preceding Yeats's writing of the poem, his pregnant wife Georgie Hyde-Lees caught the virus and was very close to death. 

When we re-read the poem we got the idea that the poem is basically written as a pandemic poem. In this lines we can relate that,

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

We know that the virus had no shape. But in this poem poet described virus as,

A shape with lion body and the head of a man. 

Yeats's wife caught the virus and she was very close to death. The highest death rates of the 1918–19 pandemic were among pregnant women in some areas, it was an up to 70 percent death rate for these women. It was a very terrible situation as we are facing today because of the CORONA virus. This situation we see in this lines,

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The another thing is the Bethlehem is not taken here as birth place of Jesus Christ, but it's consider here as birth place of flu virus.

To wind up we can say that this poem is also read as a pandemic poem. And we also connect it with today's time. The Spanish flu was as terrible as coronavirus. Both ruined lot's of families and their futures. 

◆On Being Asked For a War Poem◆

"On Being Asked for a War Poem" title itself seems like someone is asking a poet to write a poem about war. Later on we recognize it's Henry James and Edith Whortan who tell W. B. Yeats to write a poem about war. Well this is a poem by William Butler Yeats. The poem has six lines only. This poem was written on 6th February, 1915. It's the beginning of the First World War. Before we analyse ‘On Being Asked for a War Poem’, here’s a reminder of the text of the poem. 

I think it better that in times like these

A poet’s mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter’s night.

Poet should not write a poem about war, but here the poet is writing a poem, it is like refusal as assent. It's very interesting fact to be noticed here is that, 

The poet don't want to write a poem, but a poet telling that through writing a poem !

It is quite a different style of answering by Yeats. In the first stanza of three lines the speaker said that it is war time; a very tough time poet should be silent. Because poets haven't the gift of speaking truth. It's the right of a statesman ! Here the poet uses irony. He wanted to tell the crowd they don't believe what the poet says, but they blindly believe in what the politicians say. Here is conflict between what is right and what is truth. 

In the second stanza of the remaining three lines, the poet talked about his subject matter of the poem. About whom and which type of poetry he wants to write. And another thing the poet says about statesmen is that he doesn't want to interfere with others. The poet talked about

Young girl, youth - unripe and immature youth

Old man, winter's night - mature people

Poet don't want to write a poem about battle, he wants to write a poem about youth and ballads for old people. It seems like the poet has a conflict with the statesman. The intention of speaker in this poem is,

If a poet is not ready to accept the challenges, it's  better that the poet remains silent.

If we talk about the rhyming scheme of the poem, it has an ABC ABC rhyme scheme. For example,

These : Please

Truth : Youth

Right : Night

So we can see that it is also an ironic poem. The speaker is trying to tell the truth through his poem. Remaining neutral as a poet is very difficult. Here we see the difficulty of the speaker. Poetry is the best way for them to give their opinions about subjects.

Here is the video recording of online class :

1. The Second Coming :-

2. On Being Asked for a War Poem:-

Thank you…