Strengths and Limitations of Two Different Kinds of Biography - Essay Example

Strengths and Limitations of Two Different Kinds of Biography Southey's Life of Nelson and Strachey's portrait of Dr Arnold are manifestly two different kinds of biography. Southey wished[s] to produce the 'eulogy' of a great national hero as a manual for the young sailor(and every patriotic or adventurous person) to treasure up "in his memory and in his heart" and he hoped to achieve this through a faithful account of Nelson's 'actions.' [ as a training manual for young sailors {Thesis: this is much too narrow an audience.

Southey was not writing just for sailors but for a whole nation.} and he hopes to achieve this through a faithful account of Nelson's actions.] Strachey declares a subtler strategy- to "attack his subject in unexpected places," and to shoot a searchlight in what lay[s] hidden. The greatest strengths of both works is that the biographers eminently achieve their goals. Southey's eulogy is an artistic success because it never descends into the depths of hagiography. As a "faithful historian" the biographer feels "called upon to pronounce a severe and unqualified condemnation of Nelson's conduct, in " the only blot upon his public character"-his "infatuated attachment" to Lady Hamilton and his summary denial of justice to Prince Francesco Caraccioli, under the influence of that "baneful passion.

" [He doesn't let the admiration for his subject deter him from pronouncing a "severe and unqualified condemnation" of Nelson's infatuated attachment to Lady Hamilton.] This fairness, regarding a fact in the public domain, actually assists in the fulfillment of Southey's aim of fashioning the eulogy. So there is little [no] reason to question the truth of the narrative, which is to [cause] evoke public admiration and praise of England's national hero. True, some episodes have been considered exaggerated (notably, the encounter with the polar bear), but Nelson's prestige is still strong even in the twenty-first century.

{Clarity and Focus: But the narrative has been questions. Nobody really knows, for example, if Nelson really hunted the polar bear in the scene Southey describes.} Southey's account appealingly presents the human side of Nelson, [. Nelson's] his impatience with the naval and political bureaucracy, his generosity and consideration, and his readiness to put himself out of pocket. {the sentence is missing a verb} He presents an individual with a great need for attention, thirst for love, and a warrior addicted to the battle.

Southey also shows how his hero is extensively rewarded by the love, affection, and admiration of the mass of people of various countries. The only limitation [that is unclear in] of the biography is little mention of any private stains on the character of this public hero, and we notice this only because Strachey teaches us -/PUNC to expect no less of any biography. That is what we owe to Strachey. One of many undeniable strengths is that he shows that the biographer's task is not to impose or to propose, but rather to expose what is hidden.

The sharpness of Strachey's intellect and the power of his prose reveal with irony that far from "chang[ing] the face of education all through the public schools of England. . . .Dr Arnold not only failed to effect a change, but deliberately adhered to the old system." [changing the face of education in the public schools of England, Dr Arnold "not only failed to effect a change, but deliberately adhered to the old system."] Strachey's account has many other merits, not the least of which is that he achieves his effect and fulfills his intentions with extraordinary economy of words.

To quote but one example, Strachey connects Arnold's death with his lifelong doubts in the pithy phrase, "Dr.Arnold had passed from his perplexities forever." {Evidence, Support, Example, Detail} In fact, the only limitation of his work is that the pleasure of reading it could have been prolonged. There is no doubt that both biographies [fulfill the proclaimed intentions of the writers] have estimable merits of their own. {Diction and Style: unnecessary sentence} Southey doesn't let his admiration for his subject drown the demands of art.

He reveals Nelson as a man and as a hero, without glossing over the well-known stains on his character, providing however, little light on those hidden from public view. Strachey's biography [is] was an educative experience [of] in his time and it remains so today. It provides as much [as] {Diction and Style: too many as's} insight into the art of biography as it does into the unseen recesses of his subject's character, in extremely acute and charming prose, but in too few words. Strengths and Limitations of Two Different Kinds of BiographySouthey's Life of Nelson and Strachey's portrait of Dr Arnold are manifestly two different kinds of biography.

Southey wished to produce the 'eulogy' of a great national hero as a manual for the young sailor(and every patriotic or adventurous person) to treasure up "in his memory and in his heart" and he hoped to achieve this through a faithful account of Nelson's actions. Strachey declares a subtler strategy-to "attack his subject in unexpected places," and to shoot a searchlight in what lay hidden. The greatest strengths of both works is that the biographers eminently achieve their goals. Southey's eulogy is an artistic success because it never descends into the depths of hagiography.

As a "faithful historian" the biographer feels "called upon to pronounce a severe and unqualified condemnation of Nelson's conduct, in " the only blot upon his public character"-his "infatuated attachment" to Lady Hamilton and his summary denial of justice to Prince Francesco Caraccioli, under the influence of that "baneful passion." This fairness, regarding a fact in the public domain, actually assists in the fulfillment of Southey's aim of fashioning the eulogy. So there is little reason to question the truth of the narrative, which is to evoke public admiration and praise of England's national hero.

True, some episodes(notably, the encounter with the polar bear) have been considered exaggerated, but Nelson's prestige is still strong even in the twenty-first century. Southey's account appealingly presents the human side of Nelson, his impatience with the naval and political bureaucracy, his generosity and consideration, and his readiness to put himself out of pocket. He presents an individual with a great need for attention, thirst for love, and a warrior addicted to the battle. Southey also shows how his hero is extensively rewarded by the love, affection, and admiration of the mass of people of various countries.

The only limitation of the biography is little mention of any private stains on the character of this public hero, and we notice this only because Strachey teaches us to expect no less of any biography. That is what we owe to Strachey. One of manyundeniable strengths is that he shows that the biographer's task is not to impose or to propose, but rather to "expose" what is hidden. The sharpness of Strachey's intellect and the power of his prose reveal with irony that far from "chang[ing] the face of education all through the public schools of England. . . .Dr Arnold not only failed to effect a change, but deliberately adhered to the old system.

" Strachey's account has many other merits, not the least of which is that he achieves his effect and fulfills his intentions with extraordinary economy of words.To quote but one example, Strachey connects Arnold's death with his lifelong doubts in the pithy phrase, "Dr.Arnold had passed from his perplexities forever." In fact, the only limitation of his work is that the pleasure of reading it could have been prolonged. There is no doubt that both biographies have estimable merits of their own.

Southey doesn't let his admiration for his subject drown the demands of art. He reveals Nelson as a man and as a hero, without glossing over the well-known stains on his character, providing however, little light on those hidden from public view. Strachey's biography was an educative experience in his time and it remains so today. It provides as much insight into the art of biography as it does into the unseen recesses of his subject's character, in extremely acute and charming prose, but in too few words.