Absolam and Achitophel

• John Dryden and Absolam and Achitophel:-

John Dryden was an English poet, playwright, and literary critic. He was recognized as the first Poet Laureate of England in 1668. 

• His most famous works:-

1. All for Love

2. Aureng-zebe

3. Mac Flecknoe

4. An Eveni

 

We go to discuss poem Absolam and Achitophel. Before discussion we study characters of the poem by this short video.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OofKznCRLXaf2LWh8y6K22uKQMUBUlmp/view?usp=drivesdk

Absalom and Achitophel is a satirical poem by John Dryden.

King David of Israel was a successful monarch though fond of women. He had a number of mistresses who bore him a large number of illegitimate children. However, his favourite illegitimate child was Absalom (Duke of Monmouth). He was a charming young man, very popular among the people. He was a great soldier, who had distinguished himself on foreign battlefields. The King pampered his son and did not mind his weaknesses.

The Jews were a strong and inconstant people. They were not happy with King David. They demanded more rights and privileges. They felt that, since they had brought David to the throne, they had the right to expel him. But the majority of the people loved the peace and did not like civil war. David was mild and gentle towards his subjects. Even so, the rebels made a plot against him which was called the Popish Plot.

The Jebusites suffered from several handicaps. They were deprived of their lands and their taxes were doubled. The situation became intolerable for them. They even tried to convert the uncommitted English people to the Roman Catholic faith. It is said that the Catholics made a plot to blow up the Parliament and to kill the king and important politicians. This was called the Popish Plot, but it was denied by the Catholics. However, Corah and his friends affirmed on oath that the plot did exist though it was not implemented. However, as a result of this plot; the people turned against the government.

The most important leader of the rebels against the King was Achitophel. He was a crooked intriguer fond of danger. As a politician, he was cunning and corrupt, though as a judge he was efficient and honest He exploited the Popish Plot to foment a revolt against the King. He became the champion of the people’s rights and a great enemy of 

      

Achitophel wanted a good leader to lead the people against the King. He found in Absalom Duke of Monmouth a good tool for working out his designs. Achitophel felt that since Absalom was an illegitimate child, he could fire his ambition and make him try for the throne. In order to win him over, he called him and persuaded him to join the revolt. In his speech, he gave a number of arguments to win over Absalom. Firstly, Absalom was very popular with the people and they would acclaim him as their Saviour. Secondly, the opportunity provided by the unpopularity of the King should be taken. Absalom might then eventually get the throne. Thirdly, he should not be afraid of the King because he is old and powerless. Moreover, if he became the champion of the public, all the people would join him in his fight against the King. Moreover, Absalom had royal blood and, as such, he was the most suitable person to succeed the King.

Absalom was impressed by the arguments of Achitophel. But still, could not make up his mind. Firstly, he did not want to fight his father, who was mild and gentle. Secondly, his father loved him too much and he did not like to abuse his goodness. The King’s brother James (Duke of York), who had been nominated by the King as his successor, was a capable and fair-minded person. Though Absalom wanted to be the king, he thought, that on account of his illegitimacy, he could not obtain the throne.

Achitophel noted the hesitation in Absalom and pressed his arguments further, in order to turn the scales in his favour. He told Absalom that the King’s mildness was a kind of weakness. The people wanted to be free from this weakling. Even the Parliament did not give him the funds he wanted. Further, his friends were not reliable and would leave him in a lurch. Moreover, James (Duke of York) was disliked by the people because he was a Roman Catholic. The people have every right to take away the authority of the King. Similarly, the law of succession could be changed for public welfare. Achitophel thought that the King did not love Absalom; otherwise, he would have nominated him as his successor. Now he could raise the banner of revolt, and inform the people that the King’s life was in danger and he wanted to free him from the Roman Catholics. Perhaps, the King would welcome this revolt as he was afraid of his own brother James.

Absalom was won over by Achitophel. Achitophel promised to unite all the people who were against the King. They would support Absalom in his revolt against the King.

One member of the anti-royalist group was Zimri (Duke of Buckingham). He was a great political intriguer and totally faithless and fickle-minded. When he was turned away from the court, he tried to form parties against the King, but could not succeed. Later, he received an opportunity to revolt against the King.

Shimei was totally anti-royalist. He was extremely miserly and starved his servants. He amassed a lot of money by fraud and deceit. He took no action against the King’s enemies in his capacity as a Sheriff. Wicked people had a glorious time as long as he was in office.

The wickedest of all was Corah, the son of a weaver. He invented the Popish Plot and affirmed it on oath. He named his enemies as the conspirators and abettors in the Popish Plot. It is said that he got the magistrate murdered because he did not believe him.

Absalom left the court in order to prepare for the revolt against the King. He toured the entire country in order to win supporters. He told the people that he sympathised with their difficulties but could not help them because he did not want to revolt against his father. He could only offer his tears to them if they could be useful as a consolation. The people assured him of support and regarded him as their Saviour. The tour, arranged by Achitophel and Absalom, was able to assess their strength before openly declaring war against the King.

The people of Israel (England) were misguided by the plausible arguments of the anti-royalist group. The argument used by them was that the power rests with the people and that the people are sovereign. The kings are only trustees to use the power for the public good. If the power is abused, the people have a right to take over. The common people did not realise that, once power is given to the king by their forefathers, the descendants cannot withdraw that power. Mankind suffers on account of the sin of Adam. Therefore, the people must suffer for the actions of their forefathers who gave powers to the king. This contract cannot be changed at the people’s will. Besides this, how can the crowd judge whether the actions of the king are good or bad? The fickle-minded crowd is likely to change its views. If people claim the right to revolt and expel the king, no civilised life is possible. It is much better to suffer under a bad king than to engage in a civil war. However, the Israelites (Englishmen) were misguided by Achitophel, with the result that they gave him full support.

So popular was the revolt that King David was left only with a few friends. The most important of his supporters was Barzillai (Duke of Ormond). He was a respectable old man who had stood beside the King through thick and thin. He had even gone to exile with the King. He was a patron of warriors and poets. His son, Duke of Ossory, died in the prime of his life. The boy was a great warrior and served his country faithfully. The next supporter of the King was Zadoch the Archbishop of Canterbury, a modest and humble man. Next in order stood Sagan of Jerusalem (the Bishop of London), who was known for his kindness and hospitality. Another supporter was John Dolben, Dean of Westminster who inculcated in the schoolboys, a sense of loyalty and discipline. Besides these, there were many other loyal peers who stood by the King in his hour of difficulty. The supporters of King David (Charles II) advised him to be strong and take a stand against the rebels. If he showed any weakness, the matters would go out of hand.

David felt happy at the support of his group and he spoke with firmness. He told the people that so far he had treated his subjects as a father would treat his children. But his mildness had been misinterpreted as weakness. He knew his rights. The Parliament could not bypass him in choosing a successor. He could not agree to the demand for the removal of his friends from the office. He would now rule as a king. The people wanted law and now he would deal with them according to law. The subjects had to obey him. His success against the rebels was certain because the enthusiasm of the mob was soon . He would meet the rebels according to his own convenience and crush them. God listened to the speech of David and blessed him. Law and order was restored in the country and the King’s firm rule established.

It is summary of the poem. Absolam and Achitophel is "generally acknowledged as the finest political satire in the English language". It is also described as an allegory regarding contemporary political events, and a mock heroic narrative. On the title page, Dryden himself describes it simply as "a poem".

The Rape Of The Lock

This blog is given by Vaidehi Ma'am. I have done a very good try of becoming a good blog.

Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. 

Pope is best known for his satirical and poetry including The Rape of the lock (1712) , The Dunciad and An essay on Criticism (1711) , and for his translation of Homer.

      

1.Who is the protagonist of the poem Clarissa or Belinda? Why?

 The Rape of the Lock was written by Alexander Pope. It was first published in 1712, then reworked and published again in 1714. The poem is a mock-epic that satirizes the upper-class in London at the time. The story focuses on the main character, Belinda, whose lock of hair is cut off at a social gathering..

I think Belinda was main protagonist in the poem. She was The protagonist of the poem, Belinda is a wealthy and beautiful young woman who travels to Hampton Court for a day of socializing and leisure. She is the type of girl one would expect to have "a favorite curl. Her remarkable beauty attracts the attention of the Baron, who snips off a lock of her hair in his infatuation. At the beginning of the narrative, Ariel explains to Belinda through the medium of a dream that as she is a both beautiful and a virgin, it is his task to watch over her and protect her virtue—though as the poem unfolds, it’s unclear if Belinda is really as virtuous as she seems. Despite the fact that Belinda is Pope’s protagonist, she’s actually a bit of a slippery character to come to terms with, as the reader is provided with relatively little access to her inner thoughts, and her actions are often governed by supernatural forces. For instance, it is unclear how much influence Ariel, a sylph, is able to exert over her, and there is some suggestion that he actively toys with her morality. He claims it is her virginity which makes her worthy of guarding but sends her a dream of a handsome young man, “A youth more glitt'ring than a birthnight beau,” tempting her sexuality. Similarly, at the end of the poem, Umbriel, throws over her and Thalestris a bag of “Sighs, sobs and passions” and also empties a vial of “sorrows” over her too, meaning the rage she flies into is not entirely of her own volition. Fundamentally, as her name suggests with its literal meaning of “beautiful”, all readers can really know about Belinda is that she is attractive. The poem states that ,

“If to her share some female errors fall, Look on her face, and you'll forget 'em all”—in other words, she is so beautiful that those around her consider her basically exempt from any moral judgement, allowing Pope to satirize the idea Ariel suggests at the opening of the poem: that beauty and virtue always go hand in hand. Belinda is based on the real-life figure of Arabella Fermor, who also had a lock of her hair cut off by a suitor.

The The Rape of the Lock quotes below are all either spoken by Belinda or refer to Belinda. For each quote, we can also see the other characters and themes related to each other. Pope has presented her in different roles and under different shades, some are satirical . The character of Belinda has created much controversy since the publication of the poem. Some critics consider her treatment fair while others as unfair.We see her in many different lights. We see her as a vamp, an injured innocent, a sweet charmer, a society belle, a rival of the sun, and a murderer of millions. She has a Cleopatra- like variety. However, the reality lies in between these two extremes we can discuss her character as blow.

Firstly, Belinda is the protagonist of the story. It is her character around whom the story of the whole poem is woven. We see her sleeping till noon and her awakening by her lap dog “Shock”. We are present at her toilet and watch the progress of the sacred rites of pride. Then we see her proceeding from the Thames River to the Hampton Court. Then her smiting looks upon the well dressed youths that crowds her.Pope compares Belinda to the sun and suggests that it recognizes in Belinda a rival. Belinda is like the sun not only because of her bright eyes and not only because she dominates her special world. She was as beautiful as every eye was fixed on her alone. She is like the sun in another regard: 

"Bright as the sun, her eyes the gazers strike.

And, like the sun, the shines on all alike."

Belinda’s lovely beauty is enhanced by two curling side locks of hair that charmingly set off her ivory white neck and which she has kept “to the destruction of mankind:”

Secondly, Belinda is a model arid more specifically represents the fashionable, upper-class ladies of Popes age.

Thirdly, Popes attitude to Belinda is very mixed and complicated; mocking and yet tender, admiring and yet critical. The paradoxical nature of Pope’s attitude is intimately related to the paradox of Belinda’s situation. If Belinda is to find her role of woman, she must lose the role of a virgin, and the more graceful her acceptance of loss the greater the victory she achieves through it. Because Pope is dealing with this paradox, his altitude must be mixed and complicated. It is necessary for Pope to stress Belinda’s divinity. At the same time he does not let us forget Belinda’s mortality. The scene at Belinda’s dressing table, where she is both mortal priestess and the goddess worshipped in the mirror, is an example of this device.

To wind up we can say that Belinda’s portrayal is one of the awesome literary creations ever produced in the History of English literature. Pope seeks to throw light upon the fickle minded fashionable ladies of the 18th century England depicting Belinda as the representative character. She is the embodiment of the coquetry, the art, the artifice and the false pride.

2. What is beauty?? Write your own views on it.

    

Many people define beauty  differently according to their own experiences. Beauty is everything. Beauty pleasure our eyes, Beauty is the state or quality of being beautiful.The definition of beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty has negative and positive influences on mostly people. Beauty is described by the inside and outside of us. We can say that something is a beauty when you think it is very good.The beauties of something are its attractive qualities or features. Beauty is used to describe people, products, and activities that are concerned with making someone look beautiful.

    

Forms of Beauty:-

1.The quality attributed to whatever pleases or satisfies the senses or mind, as by line, color, form, texture, proportion, rhythmic motion, tone, etc., or by behavior, attitude, etc.

2.  A thing having this quality

3.  Good looks

4.  A very good-looking woman

5.  Any very attractive feature 

 have.

Some people can be very beautiful on the outside - be it amber-colored eyes, perfect hair and attractive clothes but if not good in practice, the inner beauty can take away any great looks. We can say that,

    

    

3. Find out a research paper on "The Rape of the Lock".

Here i share a link which was research paper by papermasters. 

https://www.papermasters.com/rape-lock.html

The most powerful tool used by Pope to show his disapproval of so-called aristocratic and civilized mannerism prevailing in his contemporary British society is implied satire. 

Pope also shows the triviality and uselessness of contemporary mannerism and exaggerated decency and politeness in figurative presentation. Pope uses battle imagery to compare a trivial card game between Belinda and the Baron to a great battle scene in a classical epic. By parodying the battle scenes of a great epic poem, Pope implies that the passion once associated with brave and serious purposes is now being used to depict petty trials such as card games and gambling that usually serve as a front for flirtation. In canto five, trivial battles are once again explored, as the belles battle the beaus in a flirtatious attempt to reclaim Belinda’s severed lock from the Baron. The battle between the sexes is a frivolous one for it is fought with smiles, glances and frowns in the place of weapons.

Pope exposes the triviality of his society through a petty battle meant to be derived from the great battles fought in a classical epic. Thalestris “scatters death around from both her eyes”, implies that a woman’s evil looks has the power cause a man to “perish”. There is also a metaphor for death indicating not death on the literal level, which would be a serious topic, but the allegorical death of a male ego from not being able to win a belle’s fancy. Men are able to die and be “revived” by the frowns and smiles of a lady. Pope is thus parodying his society in calling the beau “a hero slain”, for it is obvious that there is nothing heroic in the frivolous flirtations between the men and women Britain’s hipossesses.

Pope compares Belinda’s dressing rituals as being like donning amour, ready for battle. Here files of pins extend their shining rows, Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles. Now awful Beauty puts on all its arms… We see a woman ready to go into a battle of the sexes, and the Baron is her opponent. The Baron feels that Belinda’s beauty is a threat in that it empowers her and means he may have to compete with other men for her affection. The idea of a woman holding power of any sort over a man attacks the male ego. He is Resolved to win, or by fraud betray; For when success a lover’s toil attends, Few ask if fraud or force attained his ends. The Baron will either have her, or if he fails in that, destroy any power she possesse.

 4. Write your views about the significance of hair. Is it symbolic?

Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair.

    

  

The hair on our bodies serves many functions. It helps to protect us from the elements, to regulate our body temperature, and to perceive sensations.

The amount of hair on a person’s head can vary by individual. The average human head has about 100,000 hairs with a similar number of hair follicles.

Womens and beautiful hair:-

A woman's hair is the first most noticeable part of her beauty. It enhances her personality. It's an important part of your appearance and sets the tone for your entire look. A bad hair day is just a bad day.

We aren’t saying your hair style makes you beautiful, but it definitely adds to your natural beauty.

If you’re dressed to impress but your hair doesn’t match your clothes it can ruin your entire look and make you look like a homeless person who stole someone's good clothes.

With a bad hairstyle you come off as a lazy person or someone with really low self-esteem.

A good hairstyle even with a simple dress can make you look glamorous - that’s the power of a good hairstyle.

You will be remembered because of your hair sure, people look at your eyes and your lips, but what they don't forget is how great your hair looked. Good hair is something everyone wants to be remembered by.

Here we see the picture of types of hair.

  

Its appearance changes in differentent hair types.

Post-truth

This bolg is about very famous word post - truth.Let's we can disccs about it.

What is Post-truth??

The Oxford Dictionaries 2016 word of the year is Post - truth. The use of this term has been incredibly especially after the Brexit Referendum and 2016 US president election.

Relating to a situations in which people are more likely to accept an argument based on theire emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.We can say that “post-truth” is not simply the opposite of truth, however that is defined; it is more complicated.

 Denoting circumstances in which people are more likely to accept an argument based on theire emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.When people get emotional and accept something then it becomes post truth.

In this post truth era, science is needed more than ever.

The world has entered an era of post -truth politics. The post - truth politics represents an era of politics which believes in moving with emotions and totally ignoring the presented facts.

 

A.C. Grayling is a British philosopher and author who believes that post - truth thinking had its roots in the financial collapse of 2008.His lecture was entitled "Fake News in a Post -truth world".

While Donald Trump is considered the trend setter, Boris Jhonson is the latest star of post-truth politics.Donald Trump lies more often than an average American washes hands every day. In his first 869 days as President, Trump said 10,796 things that were either misleading or outright false, according to the Washington Post’s Fact Checker. 

     

When the whole world was struggling with corona, Narendra Modi made some efforts to fight some corona which made us laugh which people also blindly imitated in which attempts were made like playing the plates and lighting lamps. 

In which people were told that there is a danger of corona from sound, not only this, but big actors, politicians, businessmen all supported this. We see it in the following video clip.

Same as Religion I am aware that many people might be upset by my equating religion with fake news, but that’s exactly the point. When a thousand people believe some made-up story for one month, that’s fake news. When a billion people believe it for a thousand years, that’s a religion, and we are admonished not to call it “fake news” in order not to hurt the feelings of the faithful.

Ancient religions have not been the only ones to use fiction to cement cooperation. More recently, each nation has created its own national mythology.

In India it is rare to see such blind imitation of religion. People follow the traditions that have been going on for years. It is easy to talk about doing business in the name of godess and god and people start to believe such things as true. 

Milan Pandya sir came to our college for our workshop. He gave an example and explained to us that not everything that is in front of you is true but the truth behind it is something different.

• The ad of Kareena Kapoor:

• The ad shows Kareena Kapoor khan being happy to get a Rs.3 discount on buying Lux Soap when we all know the reality is how rich Kareena is.

• Yeh Hai Mahobbtein

This serial Yeh hai Mahobbatein shows that the wife has a fractured hand and her husband is helping her to straighten her saree. Secondly we can see that the heroine is well prepared and make up.

All these things are immediately adopted by women. Any self-examination assumes everything to be true. 

 

Post Truth Meaning Consider anything emotionally without getting emotional and check what is truth.

                    Thank you!!!!!!

The Puritan Age

Hello learners, This blog is about the Puritan Age and the great writer of this age, John Milton, about the good literature written during his time. The blog is given to us by our Sir Dilip Barad.

What is Puritan Age?

The Puritan age is named after the rise of the Puritan movement in England in the 17th century. Puritans, were a group of English speaking Protestants who were dissatisfied with the religious reformation movement carried out during the reign of queen Elizabeth. Puritan poets such as John Milton, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor and John Dryden produced some of the best-known verse of their age. Let us learn about John Milton from it.

• John Milton:-

Milton was born on 9 December, 1608. 8 years before Shakespeare's death. His father was senior John Milton and mother was sarah jeffery. Milton was educated St. Paul's school, london.He has also private tutor named Thomas Young. Milton studied many languages like Greek, Latin etc. He joined Christ's college in 1625. Milton got his BA in 1629 and MA in 1632. Milton skin color so fair that he was called the 'Lady of Christ College. John Milton undertook a journey of the continent for 15 months in 1638.

 

John Milton was seventeenth century English poet whose works have greatly influenced the literary world. He was pamphleteer, historian and English poet. Milton wrote poetry and prose between 1629 to 1674, and is most famous for his epic poem.

• Periods of John Milton's Literary Career:-

1. The First Period (1629-40) : Period of Milton's writing at Harton university

2. The Second Period (1640-60) : Period of political works and prose writing.

3. The Third Period (1660-74) : Period of the great poems of Milton.

1)The First Period (1629-40) :- 

This is the period of Milton's university career and study at Horton. During this Horton period, Milton composed 'Ode on the morning of Christ nativity(1629),

 'Comus', 'lycidas' 

. He also composed "On Shakespeare(1630)", and 'Arriving at the age of twenty three '(1631).

   

2) The Second Period (1640-60) :- 

It is chiefly Milton's period of prose and political writings. Along with many prose pamphlet and the famous

 'Areopagitica' (1644). 

Milton also composed his eighteen sonnets such as

 "On His Blindness" and

" On the Late Massacre in Piedmont" etc.

3) The Third period (1660-74) :-

 It is the period of great poems of Milton during this period Milton produced

'Paradise Lost' (1667),

   

 'Paradise Regained' (1671) 

and 'Samson Agonisters'(1671).

2) General Characteristic of the Age:-

 

Puritan literature was direct and focused on offering instruction from a Biblical point of view. However, there were many other central characteristics. 

Let's take a look at some of them:

Puritan authors preferred to write in first person and in as plain a style as possible. While they believed in sharing their experiences and beliefs, they also wanted to avoid drawing unwanted attention to themselves, hence the simple style which contrasted the more elaborate style popular in Europe. Writing was a major part of their lives, and even simple letters were treated as though they were instructive. Puritans did not believe literature was meant for entertainment.

Major Puritan writers produced works that have also become major works appreciated as literature and not just religious writings. This is highly ironic, as the idea of famous Puritans is antithetical for the concept of not drawing attention to oneself.

Puritan Literature Characteristics

Puritan literature was direct and focused on offering instruction from a Biblical point of view. 

Puritan literature relied on a first-person narrative. Puritan authors approached writing from a personal point of view, with many of their writings coming in the form of journals, diaries, and day-to-day experiences. By writing from a first-person perspective, thoughts are conveyed from the author speaking about him or herself.

Puritan literature relied on a religious, rather than an entertainment, theme. Puritans didn't believe in writing for entertainment; rather, they thought of writing as a tool to reach people with the story of God. Works focused on realistic messages illustrating the idea that everyone was born a sinner and that his or her salvation had been pre-determined, a concept known as predestination.

Puritan literature also relied on specific genres. Taking into account the first-person narrative and religious focus, most Puritan literature took the form of a sermon, poem, letter, or historical narrative. There was often an underlying purpose to these types of communications, illustrating their values and the importance of the Bible and God in their daily lives.

Puritan literature relied on a simple style of writing. Puritans lived simple lives, so it stands to reason that their style of writing would mimic the same pattern. Puritan authors used direct and simple language and sentence structure to convey their point, shunning the more elaborate style of writing that was popular in many circles at the time.

Puritan literature relied on Biblical allusions. Biblical allusions, or references to Biblical events or characters, were used heavily in Puritan writing. Many authors would compare themselves or current struggles to hardships endured by characters illustrated in the Bible.

Puritan literature relied on fear. In many works, authors relied on their readers' sense of fear about God and hell to effect change in the readers' minds and souls. By using fear to reach the readers, the author thought there was better potential for change. After all, sinners who did not conform to their religious beliefs were believed to be headed for an eternity of torment in hell.