Rabbi Ben Ezra: Critical Appreciation

 

“Rabbi Ben Ezra” was first published in 1864. It has 192 lines and is the clearest expression of Browning’s optimistic philosophy of life. It is Browning’s clearest attempt to explain his philosophy or his outlook on life, this Universe, God, and man’s relation to all this. It is a dramatic monologue because only one man speaks. The speaker is Rabbi Ben Ezra or Abraham Ibn Ezra, a twelfth-century Jewish scholar who was an actual person. Whom he speaks to is not made clear. He just puts forth his idea of God, man, and the universe. He is the spokesman for Browning. Of course, Browning generally says that his poems are objective and do not express any of his opinions. But some views are repeated so often that we can take them as being Browning’s own views.

The poem is a glorification of old age and has been written from the standpoint of age-Old age is the best period of life and men should look forward to it. It brings wisdom, knowledge, dignity, and a certain resignation and acceptance of life. Youth is a period of doubt and rebellion. Living for mere pleasure is foolish. In youth, man thinks pleasure is everything and tries to drown himself in it. He does not realize that youth is a preparation for old age which is the best period of life.

The experience we gather in our youth changes to wisdom in old age because it is through mistakes that we learn. The knowledge that there is a God and man is but a part of God’s plan comes much later. Man should surrender himself to God and then he will realize that God has planned man as a whole—youth and old age, body and soul. Just as youth lays the foundation for age so also the body is no less important than the soul. The two go together. The poem is also a glorification of failure. He underlines the fact that it is aspiration and not achievement that counts. He may not have achieved much according to the standards of the world, but in reality, his hopes wishes, and goals and the effort he makes to achieve them are what is important to Browning. Failure should not discourage us; in fact, it is better than success because success makes us take things easy. We no longer work as hard because we have got what we want. But failure makes us work that much harder, so it is good.

Through the metaphor of the potter and the pitcher, Browning explains God’s plan for man. God is the potter who is shaping the clay (man) on the wheel of life. He is shaping man by giving him pain suffering and failure. All this is meant to strengthen his character so that he becomes a strong man. This is also his explanation for the imperfection we see around us. The world is imperfect because God has made it so to try man. Thus behind imperfect man and the imperfect world is the perfect God who has a plan. Man has only to submit to the plan to know his place in the scheme of things. Once the pitcher is shaped, it is ready for use by the Gods. The soul has been purified by suffering and now it is ready for its journey which comes after death.

Question-Answers of the Essay "Of Studies"

 

Question: What does Bacon mean by “Studies serve for delight” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Francis Bacon “delight” means to get joy or pleasure. So, studies serve to get joy or to get pleasure. Like, we study books to get pleasure and amusement.

Question: What does Bacon mean by “Studies serve for ornament” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon “ornament” means to beautify. So, studies serve to beautify the use of language either spoken or written. Studies improve our use of language.

Question: What does Bacon mean by “Studies serve for ability” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans" According to Bacon “ability” means here, the ability to work, to counsel, to judge, and to decide. So, studies serve to improve trade knowledge, counseling, judgment, and decision-making.

Question: What are the main benefits of study in the essay “Of Studies” by Francis Bacon?

Ans: According to The greatest essayist Francis Bacon the main benefits of study are delight, ornament, and ability.

Question: What is the chief use of studies for delight according to Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: The chief use of “studies for delight” is to study in leisure time, in loneliness or solitude. It will give you pleasure and reduce the boredom.

Question: What is the chief use of studies for ornament according to Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: The chief use of “studies for ornament” is in discourse. By studying we know new words and we learn where we use which words and which do not. It’s meant that studies beautify our speech.

Question: What is the chief use of studies for ability according to Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: The chief use of “studies for ability” is in the judgment and business disposition. It means studies improve our ability to judge the problem and decision making. It is also helpful to understand the business nature.

Question: What is Bacon’s view about spending too much time on studies?

Ans: Bacon wrote in his essay “Of Studies” that spending too much time in studies is laziness. It means that only study could not be fruitful without experience.

Question: What is Bacon’s view about “too much use of studies for ornament” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: In the essay “Of Studies” according to Bacon the too much use of studies for ornament is affectation. It means that too much use of studies for ornament makes your discourse artificial or unnatural.

Question: What is Bacon’s view about making judgments wholly by their rules in his essay “Of Studies“?

Ans: In the essay “Of Studies” Bacon tells us that to make judgments wholly by their rules (rules that are learned from the studies) is the humor of the scholar. It means that the judgments made without practical knowledge or experience are foolish.

Question: What does Bacon say about the natural abilities of a man in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: Bacon says that the natural abilities of a man are like the plants that need pruning (trimming) and the natural abilities of a man also need trimming by the studies. He says that the study only gives lots of directions, but experience also supplements the natural abilities.

Question: What is the attitude of a crafty man about studies, according to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies” the crafty man denounces (criticizes, condemns) studies because the cunning and sneaky person used tricks and crooked ways to accomplish the job.

Question: What is the attitude of a simple man about studies, according to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies” the simple man admires (regard, respect) the studies.

Question: What is the attitude of a wise man about studies, according to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies” the wise man used the knowledge had gotten from his studies.

   Question: What does Bacon mean by “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested” in the essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon some books are tasted meaning not studied completely but in parts. Others to be swallowed means that books are read completely, but without curiosity, and some few to be chewed and digested means that books are studied with full interest and deeply to get maximum knowledge not only thematic but at the minute level also.

 

 

Train to Pakistan as a partition novel

 

           Train to Pakistan is a magnificent novel in which Khushwant Singh describes the tragic tale of the partition of India and Pakistan and the events will be remembered as one of the blackest chapters of human history. He has designed the novel to explore the brutal and hypocritical image of man. The novel is set in the fictional village Mano Majra, a small village in which Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs have loved each other as brothers and lived together in peace.

            The novel is divided into four sections─ the first is “Dacoity”, the second is “Kalyug”, the third is “Mano Majra” and the fourth is “Karma”. Khushwant Singh clearly builds the turbulent days of partition in these four sections. In the first section, the murder of Ram Lal by a gang of dacoits from a neighbouring village sets the main theme of the tragedy to the event. Dacoity has caused mutilation and has made some innocent persons victims of the action. Police arrest Juggut Singh and Iqbal suspecting them for the murder. Thus, the sleepy village awakens to life and slowly joins the tragic storm outside. The sudden activity in the village brings history in motion and the peace of the village slowly disappears.

            The second section, “Kalyug” describes that the novel has a cosmic vision. All the dead bodies carried by train from Pakistan to be cremated at Mano Majra advocates a sign that the old world has died. The incident of mass cremation completely destroys the peace of the Mano Majrans. Everybody in the village takes the train as a prognostication of evil times. Even Meet Singh said to Imam Baksh, “This is kalyug, the dark age”.

            The third section, “Mano Majra” is revolved around a changed Mano Majra. With the arrival of a ghost train stuffed with corpses, Mano Majra loses its ideal isolation and gets involved in the national demolition. The head constable divides the villagers into two groups ─ Sikh and Muslim. The Sikh refugees shared their cruelty meted out to the Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan. The chaos prevails in Mano Majra. Despite that, villagers still pledge to protect their Muslim brethren. The Lambarder assures Imam Baksh, “This is your village as much as ours” Imam Baksh is overwhelmed by the expression of affection when he says, “What have to do with Pakistan? We were born here. So were our ancestors. We have lived amongst you as brothers”. But the fire of hatred blew its extreme. All are afraid of the angry and aggrieved refugees from Pakistan. The irony of fate is revealed when forces beyond the control of the Mano Majra take over and the warmth of the relationship between Sikhs and Muslims for generations is blown out. The state of mental agony and conflict between Hindus and Muslims is thus unveiled. The houses of Muslims are robbed.

            The fourth section is, “Karma” which describes the novel as a metaphysical dimension. In this section, the story reaches its devastating dramatic end with Juggut Singh sacrificing his life to save the lives of other Muslims as well as his girlfriend Nooran. The novel closes with an ironic reversal of the order of things in which the dacoit Mali becomes a custodian of Muslim property and Juggut Singh sacrifices his life. In this section ‘Karma’ takes hold of the man, but a man under his own free will fights against his fate and tries to retrieve his last soul.

            At the time of independence, India was partitioned with a great disturbance in the whole continent. Independence brought in its wake one of the bloodiest carnages in the history of India. During this period, the people of the Mano Majra village passed from a state of happiness and stability to that of bitterness and disturbance.

            Train to Pakistan describes the troubled relationship between the Muslims and the Sikhs. The situation of the country intensified miserable in the wake of the partition. The effect of this was that twelve million people had to flee leaving their homes; over a hundred thousand women, young and old, were abducted, raped, and assassinated. Thus, thousands fled from both sides of the border seeking security and refugee. The sinister and venomous impact of partition and the indignation provoked by Singh have been realistically expressed in a devastating irony in Train To Pakistan.

 

Title of the novel: The Sun also Rises

 

           “The Sun Also Rises” is a novel about a lost generation. Lost generation is the term used for those who participated in the First World War and were wounded physically or spiritually. These wounded people began to take little interest in realistic activities of life and engaged themselves in evil things like too much drinking, dancing, and having free sex. This generation has two groups. One of them was settled and the other was a group of expatriates who wanted to learn how to live in this world. But as their attitude toward life was unmanly so they were unable to learn how to live in this world. This added to their frustration and to this group Hemingway is concerned.

            This group of expatriates comprises Jakes Barnes, Lady Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, and Mike Campbell. Robert is physically wounded while others are spiritually wounded. Jake Barnes has lost his manhood by receiving a genital wound and other lost their values. Brett Ashley has lost her moral values for she has been and still is indulging in making free sex. She has had affairs with Robert Cohn, and Jake Barnes and still yearns to make more and thus in the end has an affair with Pedro Romero. Mike Campbell is shown or told bankrupt which indicates that he has lost economic value. Robert is also a victim of these evils. First, he helps his mistress Frances and then spends with Brett Ashley who on one hand is trying to get a divorce from her husband Mr. Ashley and on the other hand is engaged to Mr. Mike. Jake in the end pimping with Brett reveals that he has lost social values as well. This generation which is lost and has lost its value is compared with the setting sun.

            On the other hand, Pedro Romero, the young bullfighter extends to content the group of expatriates. He is 19 years old and represents the young generation. He is called “Messiah” and is said to have come to save bullfighting from decadence. The bull is the symbol of evil and the the corral is the symbol of life. Pedro’s fight, in corral, with a bull is in fact man’s struggle or fight against evil in life. Hence we can clearly observe that the group of expatriates is the victim of evil for they indulge in dancing, drinking, The term and sex but Pedro Romero’s fight against bull reveals that he is fighting against evil. Term “Messiah” has especially been used for Romero which means saviour. The sentence that he has come to save bullfighting means that he has come to teach the people not to be victims of evil but that they should master up courage to fight against evil. His young age and his fighting spirit indicate that he is the rising sun. Hence the sun that has set is rising again and this is the title “The Sun Also Rises”.