Wordsworth's preface

        I'm writing this blog as an assignment by the Department of English, MKBU.  This is about wordsworth's preface.        

                  Wordsworth's Preface

About William Wordsworth(Click here)

1)What is the basic difference between the poetic creed of 'Classicism' and 'Romanticism'? 

             Classicism and Romanticism are literary movements. The term Classicism refers to the admiration and imitation of Greek and Roman literature, art, and architecture. Order, maturity, harmony, balance and moderation are important qualities of Classicism. Romanticism might best be described as anti-Classicism. This movement stressed human emotion and thoughts and emphasized the individual, the imaginative, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. Popular romantic authors include people like Burke, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake, Keats, Byron, Gordon, Burns, Southey, Cowper, Shelley, Scott, Goethe, Lamb, De Quincey, Carlyle, Bronte sisters and Jane Austen.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLASSICISM AND ROMANTICISM

 

         Toward the end of the eighteenth-century, Romanticism emerged as a response to Classicism. While the Classicists thought of the world as having a rigid and stern structure, the romanticists thought of the world as a place to express their ideas and beliefs. Classicists and Romanticists differed in their views of nature. Classicism was based on the idea that nature and human nature could be understood by reason and thought. On the other hand, Romanticists viewed nature as mysterious and ever changing.

        Classicist and Romanticists also differed on their approaches towards reason and imagination. Classicism attached much more importance to reason than imagination because imagination could not be explained by their laws. The Romanticists, however, emphasized that reason was not the only path to truth. To the Romantic writers, imagination was ultimately superior to reason. Classicists thought that it was literature’s function to show the everyday values of humanity and the laws of human existence. The Romantics stressed the human potential for social progress and spiritual growth.

        To conclude, we can say that both the movements played significant role in the development of literature. The classicism showed its strong effect in the field of writing in the Augustan period. This ideal was followed by Dryden, Pope, Johnson and Swift. The term Romantic as a designation for a school of literature opposed to the Classic was first used by the German critic Schlegel at the beginning of the 19th century. From Germany, this meaning was carried to England and France. Wordsworth and other literary figures of the 19th century strengthened Romanticism in England.

2)Why does Wordsworth say 'what' is poet rather than 'who' is poet?

      According to Wordsworth, "A poet is a man speaking to men, endowed with more lively sensibility" and he also say that the poet is such a human being who is overall in degree a far better human being than ordinary human being.

In other words:

• He has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, than one supposed to be common among mankind.

• He is a man pleased with his own passions and volitions, and who rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life that is in him; delighting to contemplate similar volitions and passions as manifested in the going-on of the universe, and habitually compelled to create them where he does not find them.

• Man speaking to men.

• More lively sensibility.

• Greater imagination.

• Greater zest for life.

•Greater power of expression and communication.

3)What is poetic diction? Which sort of poetic diction is suggested by wordsworth in his preface?

       William Wordsworth, a poet of the romantic age has a unique type of diction with major distinct features as compared to his contemporaries. As he was a revolutionary poet the style, diction, themes, the subject matter was totally different from the previous writers.

         Wordsworth’s Poetic Diction theory is a revolution against neoclassical diction. His revolt against pseudo-classical diction is based on finding suitable language, a language that totally has a new style and form.

           He wants to write poetry that can be understandable to all. By all, I mean, those who are illiterate but can taste the essence of poetry. His aim was to produce literature that has essence and joy, but the primary priority was on the simplest diction. The preface to the lyrical ballad is a masterpiece of work from which we will analyze Words Worth’s Poetic Diction in detail. In the theory of poetic diction he explains in detail his aim of poetic diction;

Simple language

Low and rustic life

Common man

Nature

Emotions

4) What is poetry?

         As 'Poetry' is the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”, it takes its origins from emotion recollected in tranquillity". In this definition of poetry there are two apparent contradictions. The “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” and “emotion reflected in tranquillity” on the other side are apparently two contradictory statements.  

          Wordsworth uses his poetry to look at the relationship between nature and human life. For him poetry is the talk of man to man and it should be in simple language. His experience and attitude are reflected not only in his poetry, but also in letters and prose work. Wordsworth’s poetry remained consistent throughout. Even the language and imagery he used to embody those themes remained remarkably consistent. They remained consistent to the canons Wordsworth had set out the Preface to Lyrical Ballads.

    According to Wordsworth, 'poetry' 'is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge, the impassioned expression that is in the countenance of all science'. Poetry seeks to ennoble and edify. It is like morning star which throws its radiance through the gloom and darkness of life.

'Poetry' is the instrument for the propagation of moral thoughts.

‘Poetry sheds no tears, such as angels weep, but natural and human tears’.

       Wordsworth's opinion on poetry is that “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Poetry has its origin in the internal feelings of the poet. It is a matter of passion, mood and temperament. Poetry cannot be produced by strictly adhering to the rules laid down by the Classicists. It must flow out naturally and smoothly from the soul of the poet. But it must be noted that good poetry, according to Wordsworth, is never an immediate expression of such powerful emotions. A good poet must ponder over them long and deeply. In the words of Wordsworth, “poetry has its origin in emotions recollected in tranquility.”

5) Discuss 'Daffodils - I wandered lonely as a cloud' with reference to Wordsworth's poetic creed.

     William Wordsworth’s literary classic, ‘Daffodils,’ also known as ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,’ is one of the most popular poems in the English language. This poem features how the spontaneous emotions of the poet’s heart sparked by the energetic dance of daffodils help him pen down this sweet little piece. Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy came across a host of daffodils around Glencoyne Bay in the Lake District. This event was the inspiration behind the composition of Wordsworth’s lyric poem.

        ‘Daffodils’ or ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ has been dissected methodically for illustrating the poet’s mood, the surrounding location, the allegorical meanings, and the beauty of nature in full motion. The poet’s love and proximity with nature have inspired and moved generations after generations of poetry lovers and young minds.

Thinking Activity: Romantic poets

              A visit to Victoria park

     On 20 July 2022, we had a wonderful visit to Victoria park from the department of English by Yesha ma'am. 

      In literature there is a wonderful style of poetry called Romantic poem. Celebration of nature and the common man and focus on individual experience are the major themes of Romanticism. When reference is made to Romantic poems, the poets who generally spring to mind are:

       William Blake

       William Wordsworth

       Samuel Taylor Coleridge

       George Gordon

       Lord Byron

       Percy Bysshe Shelley

       John Keats.

       This trip was organised to understand nature very closely and to connect with nature. Nature is the central characteristic of any poem. If we want to write a poem then we have to connect with nature. 

     Wendell Berry provides a simple useful definition of nature poetry that:

       “considers nature as subject matter and inspiration.” 

        Nature poetry is a form of writing that focuses primarily on themes, ideas, emotions, situations, or images that have to do with nature or the wilderness. Nature can influence the soul by its beauty, peace, by bringing different feelings.

       Many poets include descriptions of nature in their poems. They describe the world around them in writing for a purpose. They not only try to show us what they see, they try to make us understand how they feel. Not only are they connected to nature but they see life reflected in it. The poet uses various images to describe nature. For example, They present the image of a “free bird” leaping on the “back of the wind.” Since we can literally see a bird in nature leaping,jumping,or flying against the wind. This happens only because of nature. 

         The trip to Victoria park is our first trip from the department. So we are excited for it. As I said that this trip was to connect with nature and romantic poetry, Victoria park is the best site of nature in Bhavnagar. From morning to evening we were in Victoria park. 

        It has an amazing view of nature. There was pure peace. There was a lake, beautiful birds, Lots of trees, small hills, in short there was only and only nature nathing else. 

       We took lunch there in that fresh air and little rain then we were playing games with our seniors. We took lots of photographs with new friends and nature. It was really amazing trip. 

Macbeth

                              Macbeth 

        Hello readers, I'm writing this blog as assignment by the Department of English, MKBU. Here, I'm trying to give my opinion about macbeth the tragedy of ambition.

  -> Macbeth the tragedy of ambition: How do you view ambition in today's life?

          Ambition is the driving force of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth." More specifically, it is about ambition that goes unchecked by any concept of morality; this is why it becomes a dangerous quality. Macbeth’s ambition inspires most of his actions, and that results in the deaths of numerous characters and the ultimate downfall of both himself and Lady Macbeth.

         Macbeth’s ambition is driven by a number of factors. For one, he has a deep internal desire for power and advancement. However, that is not exactly why he turns to crime. It takes two outside forces to ignite this hunger and push him to take violent action to obtain power.

 

Prophecies:

         Throughout the play, the Macbeth witches make a number of prophecies, including that Macbeth will become king. Macbeth believes them each time, and often uses the predictions to decide his next actions, such as killing Banquo. While the prophecies always turn out to be true, it is unclear whether they are preordained instances of fate or self-fulfilling via the manipulation of characters like Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth: 

      The witches may have planted the initial seed in Macbeth’s mind to act on his ambition, but his wife is the one who pushes him to murder. Lady Macbeth’s persistence encourages Macbeth to put aside his guilt and kill Duncan, telling him to focus on his ambition, not his conscience.

          Macbeth’s ambition soon spirals out of control and forces him to murder again and again to cover up his previous wrongdoings. His first victims of this are the chamberlains who are framed by Macbeth for the murder of King Duncan and killed as “punishment.”

           Later in the play, Macbeth’s fear of Macduff incites him to pursue not only Macduff but also his family. The unnecessary murder of Lady Macduff and her children are the clearest example of Macbeth losing control over his ambition.

             We also see a more honorable take on ambition in "Macbeth." To test Macduff’s loyalty, Malcolm pretends to be greedy, lustful, and power-hungry. When Macduff responds by condemning him and crying out for the future of Scotland under such a king, he shows his allegiance to the country and refusal to submit to tyrants. This reaction from Macduff, along with Malcolm's choosing to test him in the first place, demonstrates that moral code in positions of power is more important than the ambition to get there, especially blind ambition.

             The consequences of ambition in “Macbeth” are dire—not only are a number of innocent people killed, but Macbeth’s life also ends with him being known as a tyrant, a significant downfall from the noble hero he begins as.

           Most importantly, Shakespeare gives neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth the opportunity to enjoy what they have gained perhaps suggesting that it is more satisfying to achieve your goals fairly than acquire them through corruption.

              At the end of the play, Malcolm is the victorious king and Macbeth’s burning ambition has been extinguished. But is this really the end to over-reaching ambition in Scotland? The audience is left to wonder if Banquo’s heir will eventually become king as prophesied by the trio of witches. If so, will he act on his own ambition to make this happen, or will fate play a part in realizing the prophecy?

 

Ambition in Today's life:

       “I think that Macbeth is relevant for young people in today's life. However, I believe there are probably many ways that it influences us such as through the language. We are potentially subconscious consumers of Macbeth, hearing Shakespeare's themes through music, books or tv programmes. One particular way that the play could be viewed as particularly relevant is the idea of having ambition which, in a modern context, could be something such as wanting to get into a good university.

           Another way in which it is very relevant to students is the point the play makes between appearance and reality, how it links to social media and the desire to present the best version, or an untrue version, of yourself online. The key line from the play in this context is when Lady Macbeth is advising her husband to ‘look like th’innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t’.” 

       “Macbeth is relevant for young people in our today's life society, mainly because it examines the idea of corruption and how easily it is to be led astray by ambition. This is very relevant for today’s society because some leaders are corrupt, run a dictatorship and do not listen to their people. It is also relevant because of the unbalanced gender relationship; there are very few Shakespeare plays where the woman takes the lead.

         There are lots of morals to be learnt from the play. Firstly, I think the main moral of the play is not to be tempted to do bad things in order to gain power. In addition, another moral of the play would be that even if you think you are in too deep there is always a way out; and you can stop. It also teaches you to trust yourself and to stand up for yourself.

        I have learnt that sometimes your ambition can lead you astray and you can do bad things. I have learnt that with enough pressure you can do something you never thought you could do. Furthermore, people can use you because of what you have.

         Personally, I think women have almost equal power to men nowadays. But sometimes it is easy to slip into typical gender stereotypes; for example, nursing is mainly considered a woman’s job, whereas a doctor is considered as a role for men. As a woman I feel I should be equal to men.

         As far as crime goes, I think that you can reach a certain point before your conscience stops you, but there are a few people who do not have a conscience.” 

  

         So, Macbeth is a tragedy of ambition and it is totally related to today's life. every one has to be determined for what they want in life and have to be willing to do whatever it has to do to achieve what they want, like when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did what they needed to do to be great and powerful like they desired.