Studies in Literature - Essay Example

STUDIES IN LITERATURE MODULE Q Answer Plot: Plot refers to the central theme of a drama, a story or a fiction, around which all the characters and their actions revolve. It is plot that invokes and provokes the excitement of the characters and urge them act and react in an imperative way. Hence, plot maintains first and foremost significance in the development of the story of a literary genre. Renowned philosopher and critic of all ages Aristotle in his “Poetics” views plot as the most important element of a drama followed by characters and thought respectively. Actually it is plot that gives a go to the events in a piece of literature and invites further developments in the story. A plot carries nine elements including exposition, foreshadowing, inciting force, conflict, rising action, crisis, climax, falling action and denouement. The three elements of plot have been described below: (i) Exposition: Exposition serves as the preparatory part of a plot, which consists of the introduction to the scenes, list of characters and tone of the drama or fiction. (ii) Conflict: Conflict is the central and most dominant part of the piece of literature, which is the basic element in the creation of plot itself. The developments in the story are dependent of rising of man’s conflict with his social set up, culture, religious belief or his own self. (iii) Rising Action: Rising action simply means the subsequent chain of events created in the aftermath of conflict. Rising action is generally the outcome of immediate provocation or inciting force that paves the way towards reaching the climax point. Q 2: (Answer): NOVEL: Literally means something new, latest or innovative, novel refers to the work of fiction, story or tale, narrating some anecdote about one or few specific character(s) in a long prose form. Novel is stated to be the invention of 18th century, and Richardson’s Pamela (1741) is considered as the first novel in the history of English literature. Though novel arrived as a genre of literature very late in comparison with the drama and poetry, yet it immediately captured the attention of the readers everywhere, and has become one of the most popular forms of modern literature. A novelette also contains the same characteristics as carried by a novel, but the major difference between the two is this that novel consists of comparatively large number of words and characters, while a novelette is precise in respect of words and list of characters. Q 3: (Answer): Tolstoy maintains remarkable command over portraying the bitter realities of life on the one hand, and pointing out the prevailing social evils on the other. Being a highly sensitive writer and a brilliant observer, he skilfully inter-knits the events happening in the life of his characters in an innovative way. In his wonderful “The Death of Ivan Ilych”, he has started the novel with the death of the protagonist, and later, he describes the chronicle of incidents leading towards his death. Though many of the critics consider it strange to formulate the story of a novel in such a weird mode, yet it the same arrangement, which is sure to capture the attraction of the readers and compels them go through the novel. If Tolstoy adjusts the scene of Ivan’s colleagues at last part of the novel, it may not win the pities of the readers, and will be unable to fashion sympathies and compassion for the protagonist character i.e. Ivan Illych in the story. Q 4: (Answer): The death scene of the hero in “The Death of Ivan Ilych” though raises several questions in the minds of readers and critics alike, yet it is his death that gives a go to the further developments of the story. Subsequent to the death scene, the readers get acquaintance with the real nature and inner feelings of every character of the novel, which turn the story into a splendid suspense along with conveying a glorious moral lesson. The story discloses how the persons, apparently very close to one’s eyes and bosom as well pretend indifference and apathy towards the ill member of family during his disease and sufferings. By creating this novel in a stylish manner, Tolstoy has proved himself as a psychologist and social reformer, which has gifted talent to draw out the sketches of life and society in a ticklish and innovative way. Q 5: (Answer): Renowned Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy’s famous work “The Death of Ivan Ilych” also exposes the last days spent by the protagonist character i.e. Ivan Ilych, which throws light on the nature of his wife Praskovya, daughter Lisa, his friend Ivan Egorovich and other colleagues--- all of which consider the ill Ivan Ilych as a constant burden and liability upon them. There are only two characters i.e. Ivan’s son Vladimir and his attendant named Gerasim, which pay due heed to the suffering protagonist and win the applause from the audience and readers alike. As discussion between Praskovya and Lisa in chapter 4 as well as the conversation between Lisa and her fiancé in chapter 5 reveals that they have their own tasks and obligations to perform, and hence pretend as unable to look after the dying head of their family. MODULE 2 Q 1: (Answer): James Joyce’s novel “Araby” maintains distinction in theme and diction, which gives new trends to English literature because of its philosophical theme and subject matter. The novelist has conveyed his message through the mouth of narrator boy, where he aims to state that teen-age love is though powerful and spontaneous, it fades away soon with one single tweak only. The writer has very successfully highlighted in a symbolic way the ideas that float in the innocent minds of young individuals. Since the boy was very passionate to bring gift for his beloved, he went out to the Araby bazaar, but the commercial activities were going to be wound up there, and the bazaar was about to sink into darkness and obscurity. The entire unpleasant situation discouraged his passion for the girl and gift altogether. The end of bazaar symbolises the shortage of time, and the darkness represents fear, ignorance and lack of protection in the novel. The boy’s feelings, depicted by Joyce are real and genuine, which melt the hearts of the readers and create their interest in this short novelette. Q 2: (Answer): Araby is the remarkable work by Joyce, where the novel indicates towards the hidden feelings of love the teenagers undergo at the prime of their youth. The novelist successfully describes how shy the young individuals feel while expressing their love and wait for some miracle to express their emotions before the lovers. The narrator of the story has deep feelings for his friend’s sister, and sees her secretly from the safe distance, but pretends apathy in her presence. Though the novel never expresses that the girl is aware of the narrator’s passion for her, but her words, gestures and information about the coming bazaar discloses the very fact that she has knowledge about the boy’s love for her. It is therefore she encourages him visit the bazaar and bring something special for her as a gesture of goodwill, friendship or love. Q 3: (Answer): A writer, novelist, poet or painter is the representative of his society and culture and describes the same that he observes within his social surroundings. It is therefore sometimes a young man is the central figure of the fiction, and even prostitutes, call girls and addicted individuals are elected as the protagonist of the fiction. Margaret Drabble’s “The Ice Age” reflects the prevailing social norms of late twentieth century, which though look as profane and pornography, yet such things had become an essential part of the British society of 20th century. The same is applied with James Joyce’s Araby, where adolescents are the central characters of the fiction. Being the social reformer and represents the entire society, the writers also take adolescents as protagonists of the fiction. Q 4: (Answer): It is a bitter reality of life that imagination is often far more glamorous than reality. Consequently, man dreams about the issues and personalities and fantasises the events, incidents and people around them. The same is the case with the protagonist of Araby, where he visualises both the girl and bazaar in his dreams and imagination. But as soon as he goes close to the realities, the veil of glamour strips and dark aspects of reality appear before the eyes of the daydreamers. It is also applied on the narrator, who undergoes extreme disappointment as soon as he experiences the realities of bazaar and his beloved as well. Q 5: (Answer): James Joyce has laid stress upon the direction of settings of scenes while describing the settings of the story. According to which the dwellings of the protagonist leads to a dead-end street, which carries symbolic meanings in its deep theme. It is due to the very fact that in the last scene when the narrator is standing still in the Araby bazaar, his life is struck by the dead-end street, where he finds no way to escape from his current situation altogether. Consequently, he is standing motionless without any decision regarding what to do next. Q 6: (Answer): The details regarding the installation of Araby bazaar were quite funny and attractive for the boy from the mouth of her beloved girl, and he was determined to go there and enjoy the beauties and attraction the bazaar offers to the visitors. It is therefore he anxiously waits for the return of his uncle so that he could get fare from him to go to the bazaar through train. But all his adventures and ambitions go to dashes on his entering the bazaar and observing the activities taking place at the eve. It drastically challenges his ambitions and fantasies expressed by the girl before him. He not only changes his mind of shopping from the bazaar, but also looks unable to take decision regarding his return from the Araby bazaar. MODULE 3 Q 1: (Answer): William Falkner maintains distinguished place among the twentieth century American Literature. His “Barn Burning” focuses upon the conflict between one’s obligations towards family on the one hand and the society on the other. Faulkner narrates the story through one of the protagonist characters i.e. Sartoris Snopes, who tells the causes, events and consequences leading towards the ultimate ruin of his father Abner Snopes. Sartoris concentrates upon the flaws in his father’s personality and points how his psychological problems turn him revengeful, vindictive and reactionary towards those which display injustice towards him. Q 2: (Answer): Abner Snopes and his son Sartoris Snopes are the protagonists of the story “Barn Burning” by Faulkner. Abner Snopes is the ex military man and has rendered services in WWI. Currently, he looks after the shed and stables of the farmers and on finding anything untoward and unjust in the behaviour of his master, he tries to set fire on their barns consequently. The younger Snopes is a responsible member of society and is against the reactionary attitude of his father and elder brother. It is therefore he informs Major de Spain regarding the malafide intentions of his father. Q 3: (Answer): The boy maintains great love for his family, and it is extremely sorrowful for him that he has lodged complaint against in father. He also looks extremely perturbed because of the Major de Spain’s firing on his father and brother. In the beginning he was hopeful that his father would make amends in his thinking and behaviour, but as his father sticks to his previous behaviour, he takes a bold step for the cause of justice, truth and society. Q 4: (Answer): “Barn Burning” reflects the inner conflict between the duties towards family and society. In the beginning pages the young Sarty looks standing firmly by his father on his expulsion from the barn as he considers the father innocent. He also gives full support to him at the court of law, but is subsequently disappointed by his behaviour and decides to desert the father for the sake of justice. Q 5: (Answer): Faulkner gives due heed to the location in his stories, and provides complete knowledge of the background where the story is going to take place. He has described the settings of the story at two difference areas and places. The novelist has divided the story in two parts. The first part of his fiction has been set in a rural area of the USA, while in the later part the story has been shifted to Yoknapatawpha County of Mississippi, where the Snopes have shifted after the expulsion from the southern part of the USA. Q 6: (Answer): The story reveals the laziness, stubbornness and vindictiveness of Abner Snopes, which is clear as the story develops gradually. Putting of barns on fire affirms his vindictiveness, where he can touch even bottom to take revenge from those who have brought miseries in to him and his family members. Instead of cleansing the barn himself, Abner appointed his daughter for the completion of the task. The small daughters were unable to cleanse the task properly, which led to Abner’s court trial and fine subsequently. Q 7: (Answer): The boy was extremely perturbed and disappointed by the revengeful attitude of his father. Though in the beginning he rendered his services as a dedicated son to the father, but gradually his conscience provoked him to support the justice and truthfulness, which he did by informing Major de Spain regarding the intentions of his father. Q 8: (Answer): As soon as the young Snopes informed the Major regarding the planning of setting the barn on fire, he became furious and followed Abner to kill him. In a hurry, Abner and his elder son jumped into the ditch to save their life. But the major continued setting fires on both Abner and his elder son. Consequently, it becomes very hard for them to escape it and save their lives. It also brings fear and pity in the heart of the narrator boy for his father and elder brother. ESSAY 1: Answer: It has aptly been stated that the qualities of an individual can be judged by the deeds he displays while undergoing a tough situation. Looking into the pages of history at large, the same quotation applies on the saviours and heroic personalities of a nation or country. Since renowned philosopher and critic Aristotle in his “Poetics” (340 B.C) views literature as mere imitation of life, the same can be applied in the characters and their actions as well as reactions. Hence, a personality or a character can be judged by the deeds he performs and the obligations he renders at some specific situation. Taking the example of Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”, it becomes evident that Oedipus was quite unaware of the reality that he was not the son of King Polybus and Queen Merope; nor he had knowledge that King Laius and Queen Jocasta were his real parents. It is therefore he refused to accept the words delivered by the soothsayer as well as messenger that it was he which was responsible for the entire uneven and untoward circumstances faced by the people of Thebes City. But as soon as reality started appearing before his eyes, he admitted to the new situation and surrendered at last. His blinding himself and relinquishing from the throne of Thebe raised pity of the spectators, audience and readers and turned him as a true tragic hero. By going through the fiction under study, the younger Snopes i.e. Sartoris serves as the man of crisis in the novel “Barn Burning.” He knows the very fact that Abner is his father and he has brought Sartoris with love, affection and care. He also knows that his father has been kicked out of employment twice, and is the only earning hand and supporter of the entire family. Sartoris also maintains emotional attachment with his father and also favours his father at the court of law. In addition, Major’s claim of fine against his father is also miserable that invites his love for his father. But being the hero of the story, Sartoris acts upon the voice of his conscience and keeps in mind the negligence of his father as a valid reason that brought ruin and humiliation for him. At such a precarious turn of life where at one side there was the love and kindness of his father and at the other side there was his moral obligation towards the other members of society. But he listened to the voice of his conscience and not only saved the major from financial ruin and destruction, but also put the very lives of his father and elder brother at great jeopardy. Hence, it is not the narrator that performed something great for his society; rather, it was the protagonist character, which performed in an extraordinary way for the projection of truthfulness and justice, and his reaction at this hour of need and crisis made him as the hero of the novel. Similarly, the protagonist character of Joyce’s Araby displays his reactions on the actions of his beloved girl, from observing her secretly to following her on the road. Furthermore, the boy’s determination of visiting the bazaar is also an outcome of the girl’s urge to do so, which he happily accepts in order to please the girl and to purchase a special gift for his beloved from the bazaar. But his reactions at the closing of bazaar prove him a frail and undecided character, which has neither any decision power nor settled mind to respond to the uneven situation in a bold and courageous way. At normal circumstances, the boy appears to be passionate, ambitious and enthusiastic to win the love and attention of his beloved. But as soon as he finds the bazaar at closing, all his passion ends in smoke and his fears and disliking regarding the bazaar reveal his cowardice, indifference and lack of decision making as the protagonist character. ESSAY 4 Answer: Sophocles’ remarkable Oedipus the King throws light on the protagonist’s inability to recognise himself and his real parents on the one hand, and assess the circumstances on the other. The playwright aims to state that human beings appear to be powerless and helpless before their fate and thus cannot overcome their misfortunes had been predetermined and decided by Nature for them. They even have not been blessed with the power to identify themselves and their closest relations without the will of Nature. As a result, they become prey to the unavoidable circumstances regulated by the Supernatural powers without having any great flaw and drawback in their personality traits. Hence, the theme of the tragedy Oedipus the King is that humans are absolutely vulnerable in the hands of their fate, and cannot look into the difference between appearance and reality. Not only this that Oedipus was unaware of the entire situation, but also King Laius, Queen Jocasta and the inhabitants of Thebes City did not know that Oedipus belonged to their family and city as well. The same can also be witnessed by going through Shakespearean tragedy under the title “Othello”, where the protagonist Othello looks unable to comprehend the real scenario of his surroundings. The brave and reliable Venetian general i.e. Othello was entrapped and ensnared by the malicious and nefarious designs planned by Roderigo and Iago. Roderigo wants to marry Brabanzio’s daughter Desdemona. Since Desdemona is in love with the brave general Othello, she has got married to Othello. It is really perturbing for Roderigo, who joins hands with Iago to let Othello down and cause the seizure of his position and reputation. Consequently, they create nuisance during Othello’s venture against Turkish fleet and make his favourite lieutenant Cassio drunk and cause riot, which produce turbulence and turmoil and leads the stripping of his rank subsequently. Cassio is trapped again when Iago enticed him to develop relations with Desdemona in order to win the heart of Othello. But Iago and Roderigo gave it wrong colour and misrepresented it the relation between the two. The entire situation creates great problems for Othello, and he mistakenly turns against his wife, associates and colleagues including Cassio and others and thus also becomes the prey to the most unfavourable circumstances and meets his fateful end ultimately. Both the stories reflect the very reality that man cannot overcome his fortune by devising strategies or playing tricks. It is particularly true while going through the susceptible doom of Queen Jocasta, the ill-fated wife and mother of Oedipus in the Greek tragedy on the one hand and Othello and his wife Desdemona in Shakespearean tragedy on the other. . List of References: Joyce, James Araby Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2007). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing (10th ed.) [interactive edition* with MyLiteratureLab]. New York: Pearson/Longman. Shakespeare, William. Othello Sophocles. (2008) Oedipus the King Translated by Michael Meyer 2008 http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/literary_elements.htm Read More