Literary Terms & Poetry Glossary
allegory A story in which people, things, and events have
another meaning. Examples of allegory are Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress,
Spenser's Faerie Queene, and Orwell's Animal Farm.
alliteration The repetition of
identical or similar consonant sounds, normally at the beginning of words.
"Gnus never know pneumonia" is an example of alliteration, because
despite the spellings, all four words begin with the "n" sound.
allusion A reference in a work of literature to something
outside the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary event,
person, or work. Lorraine Hansberry's title A Raisin in the Sun is an
allusion to a phrase in a poem by Langston Hughes. When T. S. Eliot writes,
"To have squeezed the universe into a ball" in "The Love Song of
J. Alfred Prufrock," he is alluding to the lines "Let us roll all our
strength and all / Our sweetness up into one ball" in Marvell's "To
His Coy Mistress." In Hamlet, when Horatio says, "ere the mightiest
Julius fell," the allusion is to the death of Julius Caesar.
ambiguity Multiple meanings a literary work may communicate,
especially two meanings that are incompatible.
apostrophe Direct address, usually to someone or something
that is not present. Keats's "Bright star! Would I were steadfast" is
an apostrophe to a star, and "To Autumn" is an apostrophe to a
personified season.
assonance The repetition of identical or similar vowel
sounds. "A land laid waste with all its young men slain" repeats the
same "a" sound in "laid," "waste," and
"slain."
attitude A speaker's, author's, or character's disposition
toward or opinion of a subject. For example, Hamlet's attitude toward Gertrude
is a mixture of affection and revulsion, changing from one to the other within
a single scene. Jane Austen's attitude toward Mr. Bennet in Pride and
Prejudice combines respect for his wit and intelligence with disapproval of
his failure to take sufficient responsibility for the rearing of all of his
daughters.
ballad meter A four-line stanza
rhymed abcb with four feet in lines one and three and three feet in
lines two and four.
O mother, mother make my
bed.
O make it soft and
narrow.
Since my love died for
me today,
I'll die for him
tomorrow.
blank verse Unrhymed iambic
pentameter. Blank verse is the meter of most of Shakespeare's plays, as well as
that of Milton's Paradise Lost:
Men called him Mulciber; and how he fell
From heaven, they
fabled, thrown by angry Jove
Sheer o'er the crystal
battlements: from morn
To noon he fell, from
noon to dewy eve.
connotation The implications of a
word or phrase, as opposed to its exact meaning (denotation). Both China and
Cathay denote a region in Asia, but to a modern reader, the associations of the
two words are different.
convention A device of style or subject matter so often used
that it becomes a recognized means of expression. For example, a lover
observing the literary love conventions cannot eat or sleep and grows pale and
lean. Romeo, at the beginning of the play is a conventional lover, while an
overweight lover in Chaucer is consciously mocking the convention.
dactyl A metrical foot of three syllables: an accented
syllable followed by two unaccented syllables.
denotation The dictionary meaning of a word, as opposed to
connotation.
details ( also choice of details) Details
are items or parts that make up a larger picture or story. Chaucer's
"Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales is celebrated for its use
of a few details to bring the characters to life. The miller, for example, is
described as being brawny and big-boned, able to win wrestling contests or to
break a door with his head, and having a wart on his nose on which grew a
"tuft of hairs red as the bristles of a sow's ears."
devices of sound The techniques of
deploying the sound of words, especially in poetry. Among devices of sound are
rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia. The devices are
used for many reasons, including creating a general effect of pleasant or of
discordant sound, imitating another sound, or reflecting a meaning.
diction Word choice - specifically, any word that is
important to the meaning and the effect of a passage. Often several words with
a similar effect are worth noting, such as George Eliot's use in Adam Bede
of "sunny afternoons," "slow waggons," and
"bargains" to make the leisure of bygone days appealing. These words
are also details.
didactic Explicitly instructive. A didactic poem or novel
may be good or bad. Pope's "Essay on Man" is didactic; so are the
novels of Ayn Rand.
digression The use of material unrelated to the subject of a
work. The interpolated narrations in the novels of Cervantes or Fielding may be
called digressions, and Tristram Shandy includes a digression on
digressions.
elegy A solemn, sorrowful poem or meditation about death
in general or specifically for one who is dead.
end-stopped A line with a pause at the end. Lines that end
with a period, comma, colon, semicolon, exclamation point, or question mark are
end-stopped lines.
Enlightenment A philosophical
movement of the eighteenth century that celebrated reason - clarity of thought
and statement, scientific thinking, and a person's ability to perfect oneself.
Leading figures of the Enlightenment include Voltaire, Pope, Swift, and Kant.
epic a long, narrative poem that describes the history
of a nation, community, or race. The central figure is the epic hero who experiences
legendary, mythical adventures where he displays extraordinary strength,
courage, and moral fiber against supernatural forces. Epic poems include Beowulf,
The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost.
epigram A pithy saying, often using contrast. The epigram
is also a verse form, usually brief and pointed.
euphemism A figure of speech using indirection to avoid
offensive bluntness, such as "deceased" for "dead" or
"remains" for "corpse."
figurative language Writing that uses figures of speech (as opposed to literal language or
that which is actual or specifically denoted) such as metaphor, simile, and
irony. Figurative language uses words to mean something other than their
literal meaning. "The black bat night has flown" is figurative, with
the metaphor comparing night and a bat. "Night is over" says the same
thing without figurative language. No real bat is or has been on the scene, but
night is like a bat because it is dark.
foot a single rhythmical unit of verse
free verse Poetry which is not written in a traditional meter
but is still rhythmical. The poetry of Walt Whitman is perhaps the best known
example of free verse.
genre the term used to categorize art, film, music,
poetry, and other literary works based on style, content, or technique. Common
literary genres include tragedy, comedy, lyric, and satire.
grotesque Characterized by distortions or incongruities. The
fiction of Poe or Flannery O'Connor is often described as grotesque.
heroic couplet Two end-stopped iambic
pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc with the thought usually completed in
the two-line unit.
When those fair suns shall set, as set they must,
And all those tresses shall be laid in dust,
This lock, the Muse shall consecrate to fame,
And 'midst the stars inscribe Belinda's name.
hexameter A line containing six feet.
hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration, overstatement. As a rule,
hyperbole is self-conscious, without the intention of being accepted literally.
"The strongest man in the world" and "a diamond as big as the
Ritz" are hyperbolic.
iamb A two-syllable foot with an unaccented syllable
followed by an accented syllable. The iamb is the most common foot in English
poetry.
imagery The images of a literary work; the sensory details
of a work; the figurative language of a work. Imagery has several definitions,
but the two that are paramount are the visual, auditory, or tactile images
evoked by the words of a literary work or the images that figurative language
evokes. When you are asked to discuss the images or imagery of a work, you
should look especially carefully at the sensory details and the metaphors and
similes of a passage. Some diction (word choice) is also imagery, but not all
diction evokes sensory responses.
internal rhyme Rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at
the end.
"God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the friends, that plague thee thus!-
Why look'st thou so?" - With my crossbow
I shot the Albatross.
Line three contains the internal rhyme of "so" and
"bow."
irony A figure of speech in which intent and actual
meaning differ, characteristically praise for blame or blame for praise; a
pattern of words that turns away from direct statement of its own obvious
meaning. The term irony implies a discrepancy. In verbal irony (saying the
opposite of what one means), the discrepancy is between statement and meaning.
Sometimes, irony may simply understate, as in "Men have died from time to
time . . ." when Mr. Bennet, who loathes Wickham, says he is perhaps his
"favorite" son-in-law, he is using irony.
jargon The special language of a profession or group. The
term jargon usually has pejorative associations, with the implication that
jargon is evasive, tedious, and unintelligible to outsiders. The writings of
the lawyer and the literary critic are both susceptible to jargon.
lament a poem that expresses grief, not necessarily about
death
literal Not figurative; accurate to the letter; matter of
fact or concrete.
lyrical Songlike; characterized by emotion, subjectivity,
and imagination.
metaphor A figurative use of language in which a comparison
is expressed without the use of a comparative term like "as,"
"like," or "than." A simile would say, "Night is like
a black bat;" a metaphor would say, "the black bat night." When
Romeo says, "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun," his metaphors
compare her window to the east and Juliet to the sun.
meter The pattern of repetition of stressed (or
accented) and unstressed (or unaccented)syllables in a line of verse. Lines of
verse that connect one or more feet.
narrative techniques The methods involved in telling a story; the procedures used by a writer
of stories or accounts. Narrative technique is a general term (like
"devices," or "resources of language") that asks you to
discuss the procedures used in the telling of a story. Examples of the
techniques you might use are point of view, manipulation of time, dialogue, or
interior monologue.
omniscient point of view The vantage point of a story in which the narrator can know, see, and
report whatever he or she chooses. The narrator is free to describe the thoughts
of any of the characters, to skip about in time or place, or to speak directly
to the reader. Most of the novels of Austen, Dickens, or Hardy employ the
omniscient point of view.
onomatopoeia The use of words whose
sound suggests their meaning. Examples are "buzz," "hiss,"
or "honk."
oxymoron A combination of opposites; the union of
contradictory terms. Romeo's line "feather of lead, bright smoke, cold
fire, sick health" has four examples of the device.
parable A story designed to suggest a principle,
illustrate a moral, or answer a question. Parables are allegorical stories.
paradox A statement that seems to be self-contradicting
but, in fact, is true. The figure in Donne's holy sonnet that concludes I never
shall be "chaste except you ravish me" is a good example of the
device.
parody A composition that imitates the style of another
composition normally for comic effect. Fielding's Shamela is a parody of
Richardson's Pamela. A contest for parodies of Hemingway draws hundreds
of entries each year.
pentameter A line containing five feet. The iambic pentameter
is the most common line in English verse written before 1950.
personification A figurative use of
language that endows the nonhuman (ideas, inanimate objects, animals,
abstractions) with human characteristics. Keats personifies the nightingale,
the Grecian urn, and autumn in his major poems.
point of view Any of several possible
vantage points from which a story is told. The point of view may be omniscient,
limited to that of a single character, or limited to that of several
characters. And there are other possibilities. The teller may use the first
person (as in Great Expectations or Wuthering Heights) or the
third person (as in The Mayor of Casterbridge or A Tale of Two Cities).
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying uses the point of view of all the members of
the Bundren family and others as well in the first person, while in Wuthering
Heights, Mr. Lockwood tells us the story that Nelly Dean tells him, a
first-person narration reported by a second first-person narrator.
reliability A quality of some
fictional narrators whose word the reader can trust. There are both reliable
and unreliable narrators, that is, tellers of a story who should or should not
be trusted. Most narrators are reliable (Fitzgerald's Nick Carraway, Conrad's
Marlow), but some are clearly not to be trusted (Poe's "Tell-Tale
Heart," several novels by Nabokov). And there are some about whom readers
have been unable to decide (James's governess in The Turn of the Screw,
Ford's The Good Soldier).
resources of language A general phrase for the linguistic devices or techniques that a writer
can use. A question calling for the "resources of language" invites a
student to discuss the style and rhetoric of a passage. Such topics as diction,
syntax, figurative language, and imagery are all examples of resources of
language.
rhetorical question A question asked for effect, not in expectation of a reply. No reply is
expected because the question presupposes only one possible answer. The lover
of Suckling's "Shall I wasting in despair / Die because a lady's
fair?" has already decided the answer is no.
rhetorical strategy see strategy
rhetorical techniques The devices used in effective or persuasive language. The number of
rhetorical techniques, like that of the resources of language, is long and runs
from apostrophe to zeugma. The more common examples include devices like
contrast, repetitions, paradox, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical
question.
rhyme royal A seven-line stanza of
iambic pentameter rhymed ababbcc, used by Chaucer and other medieval
poets.
satire Writing that seeks to arouse a reader's
disapproval of an object by ridicule. Satire is usually comedy that exposes
errors with an eye to correct vice and folly. A classical form, satire is found
in the verse of Alexander Pope or Samuel Johnson, the plays of Ben Jonson or
Bernard Shaw, and the novels of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, or Joseph Heller.
scansion the act of scanning (or analyzing) a line of verse
based on feet and accent (strong and weak).
sensibility an eighteenth century
approach to truth that relied on one's feelings - not on reason. Jane Austen's Sense
and Sensibility illustrates the opposing approaches two sisters take when
it comes to love: Should you love someone based on just your feelings, or does
good sense or reason play a role too?
setting The background to a story; the physical location
of a play, story, or novel. The setting of a narrative will normally involve
both time and place. The setting of A Tale of Two Cities is London and
Paris at the time of the French revolution, but the setting of Waiting for
Godot is impossible to pin down specifically.
simile A directly expressed comparison; a figure of
speech comparing two objects, usually with "like," "as," or
"than." It is easier to recognize a simile that a metaphor because
the comparison is explicit: my love is like a fever; my love is deeper than a
well; my love is as dead as a doornail. The plural of "simile" is
"similes," not "similies."
soliloquy A speech in which a character who is alone speaks
his or her thoughts aloud. A monologue also has a single speaker, but the
monologuist speaks to others who do not interrupt. Hamlet's "To be, or not
to be" and "O! what a rogue and peasant slave am I" are
soliloquies. Browning's "My Last Duchess" and "Fra Lippo
Lippi" are monologues, but the hypocritical monk of his "Soliloquy of
the Spanish Cloister" cannot reveal his thoughts to others.
sonnet Normally a fourteen-line iambic pentameter poem.
The conventional Italian, or Petrachan, sonnet is rhymed abba, abba, cde,
cde; the English, or Shakespearean, sonnet is rhymed abab, cdcd, efef,
gg.
stanza Usually a repeated grouping of three or more lines
with the same meter and rhyme scheme.
stereotype A conventional pattern, expression, character, or
idea. In literature, a stereotype could apply to the unvarying plot and
characters of some works of fiction (those of Barbara Cartland, for example) or
to the stock characters and plots of many of the greatest stage comedies.
strategy or rhetorical strategy The management of
language for a specific effect. The strategy or rhetorical strategy of a poem
is the planned placing of elements to achieve an effect. For example,
Shakespeare's sonnet 29, "When, in disgrace with fortune and men's
eyes," spends the first nine lines describing the speaker's discontent,
then three describing the happiness the thought of the loved-one brings, all in
a single sentence. The effect of this contrast is to intensify the feelings of
relief and joy in lines 10-12. The rhetorical strategy of most love poems is
deployed to convince the loved-one to return the speaker's love. By appealing
to the loved-one's sympathy ("If you don't return my love, my heart will
break."), or by flattery ("How could I not love someone as beautiful
as you?"), or by threat ("When you're old, you'll be sorry you
refused me."), the lover attempts to persuade the loved-one to love in
return.
structure The framework, or arrangement of materials within
a work; the relationship of the parts of a work to the whole; the logical
divisions of a work. The most common principles of structure are series (A,
B, C, D, E), contrast (A vs. B, C vs. D, E vs. A),
and repetition (AA, BB). The most common units of structure are - play:
scene, act; novel: chapter; poem: line, stanza.
style The mode of expression in language; the
characteristic manner of expression of an author. Many elements contribute to
style, such as diction, syntax, figurative language, imagery, selection of
detail, sound effects, and tone. "Devices of style," "narrative
techniques," "rhetorical techniques," "stylistic
techniques," and "resources of language" are all phrases that
call for a consideration of more than one technique.
syllogism A form of reasoning in which two statements are
made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A syllogism begins with a major
premise ("All tragedies end unhappily.") followed by a minor premise
("Hamlet is a tragedy.") and a conclusion (Therefore, "Hamlet
ends unhappily.").
symbol Something that is simultaneously itself and a sign
of something else. Winter, darkness, and cold are real things, but in
literature they are also likely to be used as symbols of death. A paper lantern
and a light bulb are real things, but in "A Streetcar Named Desire,"
they are also symbols of Blanche's attempt to escape from reality and reality
itself. Yorick's skull is a symbol of human mortality, and Melville's white
whale is certainly a symbol, but exactly what it symbolizes has yet to be
agreed upon.
syntax The structure of a sentence; the arrangement of
words in a sentence. For example, consider the length or brevity of the
sentences, the kinds of sentences (questions, exclamations, declarative
sentences, rhetorical questions - or periodic or loose; simple, complex, or
compound).
terza rima A three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc.
Dante's Divine Comedy is written in terza rima.
tetrameter A line of four feet.
theme The main thought expressed by a work, the meaning
of the work as a whole. Essay questions may ask for discussion of the theme or
themes of a work or may use the words "meaning" or
"meanings."
thesis The theme, meaning, or position that a writer
undertakes to prove or support.
tone The manner in which an author expresses his or her
attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning. Tone is described
by adjectives, and the possibilities are nearly endless. Often a single
adjective will not be enough, and tone may change from chapter to chapter or
even line to line. Tone is the result of allusion, diction, figurative
language, imagery, irony, symbol, syntax, and style - to cite only the relevant
words in this glossary.
MAHATMA GANDHI
– “TO STUDENTS”
Gandhi’s Essay “To Students”
highlights his message to the students of India. He says that the education the
students receive should make them worthy to realize their ideals and draw the
best out of them.
Gandhiji says that the goal of the
education should not be just to make Government employees or clerks in
commercial offices. Gandhi is a determinant opponent of modern civilization.
Students should think twice before they emulate the European civilization.
Gandhiji says that India can conquer the
world not by shedding blood but by sheer spiritual predominance. Gandhiji feels
that the political assassinations and political dacoities are purely a foreign
importation.
Gandhiji asks the students to resist
encroachment upon their liberty. He says that the Hindu religion is based upon
Ahimsa. It is nothing but love, love not only to our neighbours, not only to
our friends, but love even to those who may be our enemies.
Gandhiji asks the students to
practise Ahimsa. He also asks them to practise fearlessness. He asks them to be
prepared to suffer the consequences. Then, the students will be heard even by
the Government.
Gandhiji says that freedom and
liberty are not to be given by the (British) rulers, but to be taken by
Indians. He refers to Max Muller’s quotation that ‘Hindu religion consists in
the four letter word-DUTY, and not in the word RIGHT. So, he asks the students
always think of their duty. Fighting along Ahimsa and Truth, one doesnot have
any fear. He fears only for God.
Gandhiji finally asks the students to
dedicate their lives for the service of suppressed, poor, and destitute. He
asks them to do physical service. He also advises the students to dedicate
their lives for the service of Mother Land and poor people of the Country.
INDIAN ENGLISH VOCABULARY
Indian English is any of the
forms of English characteristic of the Indian subcontinent. English has slowly become one
of the lingua francas of the Indian subcontinent including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka. It is also the language of the
cultural and political elite, offering significant economic, political, and social advantage
to fluent speakers.
Beginning from the entry of English
language through colonial rulers in 1700s till India’s independence in 1947,
English language has evolved in India through different stages and spread
across the country. Many Indian English writers through their original writings
as well as translations have contributed to development of Indian English
vocabulary as a unique set of vocabulary, mostly used in India.
Indian English, naturally, has words
of Indian vernaculars that have made their way into the English language, such
as jungle, tank (water, irrigation), bungalow, shampoo and verandah. It has political, sociological, and administrative terms of
modern India: dharna, hartal, eve-teasing, vote bank, swaraj, swadeshi, Backward Castes, Other Backward Castes, Open Category, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, NRI, etc. ; it has words of Anglo-India
such as tiffin, hill station, gymkhana; and it has slang.
Some examples
unique to, or chiefly used in, standard written Indian English include:
·
academic & Academic pursuits in contrast to technical or
practical work.
·
accomplish (verb, transitive)- to equip.
·
airdash (verb intransitive) - to make a quick journey by air,
especially in response to an emergency.
·
English-knowing (adjective) originally and chiefly Indian English (of a
person or group of people) that uses or speaks English.
·
freeship, - A studentship or scholarship which offers full payment of a
student's fees.
·
matrimonial (noun) -
Advertisements in a newspaper for the purpose of finding a marriageable
partner.
·
press person (noun) - a newspaper journalist, a reporter, a member of
the press
·
redressal (noun) = redress (noun)
·
upgradation (noun) - the enhancement or upgrading of status, value or
level of something
Indian English - Feminist Poetry
Feminism is a movement for recognition of the claims of
women for equal rights on par with men. Feminist criticism deals with reading
as a woman and writing as a woman and responding to the literature from the
point of view of a woman. Feminist literature believes that women only can
represent their feelings, emotions, thoughts, problems, and other things
related to them genuinely.
Indian
writers were a little slow in catching up with the Feminist movement that raged
worldwide. The concept of feminist writing was started by men in India. It was
later caught on by women writers. So the first Indian feminist writers were
actually men- such as Rabindranath Tagore. His writings had a marked feminist
angle to them. Some of Tagore's novels like 'Choker Bali' (A Grain Of Sand) and
Ghare Bhaire (The Home and Outside) are known for its bold female characters.
The
most notable feminist Indian writers in English include Kamini Roy, Ismat
Chugtai, Kamala Das, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Lalithambica Antharjanam,
Arundhathi Roy, Gouri Deshpade, etc.
Kamini
Roy was a Bengali poet and a renowned feminist. She was a champion for women's
education and voting rights. 'Nirmalaya' is one of her best known works. Ismat
Chugtai is one of the major Urdu writers in India. She is known for fierce,
funny and sarcastic treatment of feminist literature. Her collection of short stories
have a definite feminist vein. She was even dragged to court for writing the
story called 'Lihaaf' or the 'Quilt'. Kamala Das is one of the first Indian
feminist writers to write in English. Kamala Das's poems and fiction explore
female sexuality intensively and present them fearlessly to the readers. Chitra Divakar is one of the best
known Indian writers who have feminist ideology. Among her famous works is the
'Palace Of Illusions'. Gouri Desh Pande
employes the theme of love and human relationships in her poems Her two books
‘Between Births’ and ‘Lost Love’ revea her feminist feelings and sentiments in
a vivid manner.
ANNOTATIONS
3RD BA Special English –
Indian English – 5th Semester – Annotations
Thought
The Paraclete – Sri Aurobindo
Annotation Lines:
1.
Flew my thought in self-lost in the
vasts of God.
Introduction:
The
above lines are extracted from the poem “Thought the Parclete” written by Sri
Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is one of the greatest poets of Indo-Anglian
literature in the Pre-Independence period. He was a great freedom fighter,
revolutionary, poet and a Yogi. His poetry reflects his mystic experience
through Yoga and meditation.
Context:
Sri Aurobindo compares human thought or human mind to Paraclete, a long tailed
bird. Like a bird, the thought also flies through different domains. The
thought outgrows its natural limitations. It moves from the normal intellectual
plane and sweeps across the illumined, intuitive and overmental regions.
Finally the thought disappears bound for the ultimate.
Meaning:
The poet describes the beginning of the journey of the thought in the first
stanza. Like a bright archangel, the thought flies through the lands, skies and
reaches the vast spaces created by God.
Comment: The movement of the thought or mind as described by
the poet shows us the evolution of human mind. From ordinary mundane level, the
thought grows and finally reaches the God and becomes one with Him.
2. …….
The
face
Lustred,
pale blue lined of the hippogriff
Eremite,
sole, daring the bourneless ways
Introduction:
The
above lines are extracted from the poem “Thought the Parclete” written by Sri
Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is one of the greatest poets of Indo-Anglian
literature in the Pre-Independence period. He was a great freedom fighter,
revolutionary, poet and a Yogi. His poetry reflects his mystic experience
through Yoga and meditation.
Context:
Sri Aurobindo compares human thought or human mind to Paraclete, a long tailed
bird. Like a bird, the thought also flies through different domains. The
thought outgrows its natural limitations. It moves from the normal intellectual
plane and sweeps across the illumined, intuitive and overmental regions.
Finally the thought disappears bound for the ultimate.
Meaning:
The poet compares thought or mind to a fast flying bird, a Paraclete. The bird
(thought) with its glowing face, vigour of a horse, calmness of a hermit, goes
alone challenging the limitless ways.
Comment: The movement of the thought or mind as described by
the poet shows us the evolution of human mind. From ordinary mundane level, the
thought grows and finally reaches the God and becomes one with Him.
3. …….
Sun-realms
of supernal seeing
Crimson-white
mooned oceans of pauseless bliss
Drew
its vague heart-yearning with voices sweet
Introduction:
The
above lines are extracted from the poem “Thought the Parclete” written by Sri
Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is one of the greatest poets of Indo-Anglian
literature in the Pre-Independence period. He was a great freedom fighter,
revolutionary, poet and a Yogi. His poetry reflects his mystic experience
through Yoga and meditation.
Context:
Sri Aurobindo compares human thought or human mind to Paraclete, a long tailed
bird. Like a bird, the thought also flies through different domains. The
thought outgrows its natural limitations. It moves from the normal intellectual
plane and sweeps across the illumined, intuitive and overmental regions. Finally
the thought disappears bound for the ultimate.
Meaning:
The poet describes the movement of the thought in these lines. The thought is
moving through the upper space of Sun as well as the moon. Its heart is
desiring for bliss of the God.
Comment: The movement of the thought or mind as described by
the poet shows us the evolution of human mind. From ordinary mundane level, the
thought grows and finally reaches the God and becomes one with Him.
4. Climbing
high for ethers eternal-sunned,
Thought
the great-winged wanderer paraclete
Disappeared,
slow-singing a flame-word rune
Introduction:
The
above lines are extracted from the poem “Thought the Parclete” written by Sri
Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is one of the greatest poets of Indo-Anglian
literature in the Pre-Independence period. He was a great freedom fighter,
revolutionary, poet and a Yogi. His poetry reflects his mystic experience
through Yoga and meditation.
Context:
Sri Aurobindo compares human thought or human mind to Paraclete, a long tailed
bird. Like a bird, the thought also flies through different domains. The
thought outgrows its natural limitations. It moves from the normal intellectual
plane and sweeps across the illumined, intuitive and overmental regions.
Finally the thought disappears bound for the ultimate.
Meaning:
The poet describes the movement of the thought in these lines. The thought is
moving through the upper space of ether. The winged wanderer, the thought, the
Paraclete suddenly disappears singing some ancient words.
Comment: The movement of the thought or mind as described by
the poet shows us the evolution of human mind. From ordinary mundane level, the
thought grows and finally reaches the God and becomes one with Him.
5. Self
was left, lone, limitless, nude, immune.
Introduction:
The
above lines are extracted from the poem “Thought the Parclete” written by Sri
Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is one of the greatest poets of Indo-Anglian
literature in the Pre-Independence period. He was a great freedom fighter,
revolutionary, poet and a Yogi. His poetry reflects his mystic experience
through Yoga and meditation.
Context:
Sri Aurobindo compares human thought or human mind to Paraclete, a long tailed
bird. Like a bird, the thought also flies through different domains. The
thought outgrows its natural limitations. It moves from the normal intellectual
plane and sweeps across the illumined, intuitive and overmental regions.
Finally the thought disappears bound for the ultimate.
Meaning:
The poet describes the movement of the thought in these lines. After moving
through different regions, the thought finally reaches the highest space. There
it loses its identity, becomes lonely, becomes limitless, becomes immune, and
finally merges with God.
Comment: The movement of the thought or mind as described by
the poet shows us the evolution of human mind. From ordinary mundane level, the
thought grows and finally reaches the God and becomes one with Him.
SITA
– Toru Dutt
Annotation Lines:
1.
Three happy children in a darkened
room
What do they gaze on with
wide open eyes.
Introduction:
The
above lines are extracted from the poem “Sita”, written by Toru Dutt. She is
one of the famous Indo-Anglian poets of the 19th century. She was
influenced by the British Romantics. She wrote her poetry, Novels, and stories
both in French and English. Her life was a mix of joy and agony. Her best
original work is “Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan” from which the poem
‘Sita’ has been extracted. She too died at the age of 22.
Context:
Toru Dutt in her poem ‘Sita’, describes the ashram of sage-poet Valmiki, who
wrote Ramayana. She also describes the sadness of Sita who was left by king
Rama and is presently staying at Valmiki’s Ashram. The sorrowful story is
narrated by Toru Dutt’s mother every night during their bed time. The three
children Toru herself, her sister Aru Dutt, and her brother Abju Dutt used to
listen to this story with tears in their eyes.
Meaning:
The three happy children – Toru Dutt, Aru Dutt, and Abju Dutt, in their bed
room are listening to the story of Sita from their mother. Before their eyes,
they could visualize the Ashram of Valmiki and Sita.
Comment: ‘Sita’ is an exquisite rendering of Toru Dutt. The
poem begins as a nature description but finally strikes the pure elegiac note.
Finally, Toru Dutt expresses her futile desire to listen to the story again
along with her brother and sister. But, the desire cannot be fulfilled as the
two died by that time.
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Meanings of other
Sentences in the poem:
2. “There Patches gleam with yellow
waving grain.
There
blue smoke from strange altars rises light”
Meaning:
Toru Dutt is
describing the beauty of Valmiki’s Ashram. Around the Ashram, there are
farmlands with grains gleaming in yellow colour. The grains are waving for the
wind. In the Ashram, there are altars to perform yagnas. From the altars, blue
smoke is emanated.
3. There dwells in peace the poet
anchorite
Meaning:
Toru Dutt is
describing the beauty of Valmiki’s Ashram. The Ashram is in the middle of the
forest. Around the Ashram, there are farmlands with grains gleaming in yellow
colour. Wild deers, peacocks and other animals are found. In the Ashram, there
are altars to perform yagnas. In such a peaceful and calm surroundings, the
poet anchorite Valmiki is living.
4. She weeps,
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