Plato's Objection of Poetry and Defence

•  Plato’s objection of Poetry and Defense:

            Plato was a philosopher and critic. As being strong moralist he objected poetry. He puts his objection from various points of view. Those are:

1                     .     Educational point of view

2                     .     Philosophical point of view

3                     .     Moral point of view

Let’s see in detail.

1.     Educational Point of view:

             Plato wrote in ‘The Republic’ that poetry don’t give any contribution in planting morality in children. Instead of it , it puts evil in children. Poetry does very harmful effect on children’s mind.

            When children read poetry, it is misinterpreted by them The hero or the villain can make any effect upon them. So Plato says that Homer’s epic were part of studies. Hero’s of epic were lusty, cunning and cruel. Even gods were portrayed very badly. Gods were shown fighting among themselves.When we teach a children god’s such stories. They find bad effect in their mind.

            Plato says that we should not tell even a word about war to children. They are having strong impression of their teachers. So in the education if teachers says them about war and violence then they get wrong impression in their mind.

2.     Philosophical point of view:

             Plato believes that poetry is not good for society. He was very much concerned with national progress and he believed that poetry prevents this progress. He wanted a state based on truth and justice and humanity and he says that instead of leading, poetry drives people away from truth. He threw away the old belief that poetry comes out at the moment of 'frenzy', so it is divine truth.

             Plato gives the theory of mimesis. According to this theory poetry is twice removed from truth. To explain it he gives very famous example of carpenter’s chair. In ‘The Republic’ Plato says that “ideas are the ultimate reality”. Carpenter first gets an idea to make a chair, then he shapes a chair(it is imitation of idea), then a painter draws that chair(it is imitation of imitation). So poetry, is merely an imitation. And when a poet imitates something then he is not aware from real thing. So poetry becomes trivial and worthless thing.
              Plato was dreaming for strong and ideal state. For it all citizens should have developed mind and intellect. but poetry makes people emotional and it is harmful for good administration.
              Like the example of carpenter's chair there is another example of mimesis. That first God imagined nature and the universe in his mind(ultimate reality), Then he created it(imitation of an idea), then what a poet does? he writes a poem on nature which becomes imitation of an imitation. According to Plato when such imitation takes place something is lost from original. And then Plato says:

        "The imitator or maker of the image knows nothing of true existence ; he knows appearance only...The imitative art is an inferior who marries an inferior and has inferior offspring."

3.     Moral point of view:

            Plato was having high moral values. So obviously he demands righteousness in literature and art. He stresses on rationality in a person. There is a quote in “The Republic”:

           “In literature many evil livers are happy and many righteous men are unhappy ; and wrong doing is often profitable while hones dealing is beneficial to one’s neighbor, but damaging to one’s self.”

              As a firm moralist Plato can’t digest such injustice in literature. According to him poetry feeds, waters and nourishes the lower and unhealthy emotions and passions. To maintain morality in mind one should be stable and rational. And it is true that sentimentality and rationality never walks together. Here again the point of imitation is raised. A poet imitates to gain popularity. Plato harshly says:

          “...we shall be right in refusing to admit him(a poet) into a well-ordered state, because he awakens and nourishes and strengthens the feelings and impairs the reason...”

             He strongly denies a poet’s living in the state. For welfare of state and society poetry is obstacle. So, these are his objections from various points of view.

            

•              Defence:

                   

                           R.A.Scott James states:

                        “...but though he(poet) creates something less than reality, he also create something more. He puts an idea into it. He puts his perception into it. He gives us his intuition of certain distinctive and essential qualities.”

                        In above statement Scott says in defence of poets. He says that, poets are not only putting the things as it was, but they add something new in it. So it should not be called imitation, because in their creation their own idea and their originality are put. So sometimes it happens that imitation is more beautiful than original. This ‘more’ is poet’s creation and originality. This is the defence to Plato’s charge from the philosophical point.

                     The second defence is against Plato’s educational objection. Plato says that epics and poetry with cunning and lusty heroes and violent Gods should not be taught. To this we can say that those things can be cleared to children. And in such epics there are good things also. So these good things can be highlighted. So the poetry is not the reason of bad thing in education.

                    Then the defence to moral point of view. According to Plato, poetry fills poison in people’s mind. And teaches immoral things to people. But artists are not to teach people. But they are intended to please people. If one get any impression weather it is good or bad then it is his own responsibility. So poetry does not give benefit as well as it does not harm also.

                    An art only expresses. It is not aimed to teach or to improve. Plato confuses the study by making mixture of art and philosophy. Plato charge that poetry leads people towards useless ecstasies. For it Aristotle gives defence in his theory of ‘catharsis’. He says that sometimes this access of emotions is necessary for balanced state of mind. Plato thinks that poetry should be like philosophy, while both the things are unique. How can they both be the same thing ? Philosophy teaches and poetry delights. Every art has its own value. So at some extent Plato, in spite of being great thinker, could not understand such basic fact. It is true that for society poetry and philosophy both are equally worthy.

          

 

Changing Identity of Gulliver

Gulliver’s Changing Identity

·      Introduction:

            “Gulliver’s Travels” is a beautiful novel by Jonathan Swift. He was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet and critic. He is very famous by his some amazing works like “The battle of the Books” and “Gulliver’s Travels”. “Gulliver’s Travels” is a satirical fiction. It was first publish in 1726. This novel is Swift’s hunter-like satire upon society, religion, politics etc. This novel is divided into four parts, they are:

1.      A Voyage to Liliput

2.    A Voyage to Brobdingnag

3.    A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarb, Luggnag, Glubbdubdrib and Japan.

4.    A Voyage to the country of Houyhnhnms.

Lemuel Gulliver is here a protagonist and narrator also. With these four voyages Gulliver’s identity is also changing. We do not find the same Gulliver at the end, which we saw in the beginning. Here Gulliver constantly searches his identity and his belongingness.

In real life also, no one can live with one identity. With time a person’s identity defiantly changes. In Gulliver’s case his identity goes in the hand of the land in which he lives. By this Swift wants to show that A person’s identity is ruled by society.

In this novel, with these four voyages, not only his psychological identity but his physical identity also changes. His psychological identity goes from optimism to pessimism, symbolically his physical identity also.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in Liliput:

When he wakes up, he finds himself surrounded by tiny people. They are people of six inches. Gulliver is too giant for them. And for Gulliver, they are too small that Gulliver cannot even hear them. They ties Gulliver by their ropes. For them he is God-like figure. So, after some time all Liliputians come under Gulliver’s influence. In this world of pygmies Gulliver’s identity is as a powerful and unique person. Here he enjoys his existence. The originality of Gulliver is lost here. He is not a person of the sophisticated society of London. Here he is mighty person and full of confidence, while in his society he was only a common man. No one gave such consideration to him in his society. His physical size and strength give him unique position and identity. He feels proud on himself. And now Gulliver also identifies himself by the eyes of Liliputians.

The second thing is the point of language. Language is the only source for Gulliver to remember his earlier identity. But Liliputians speaks different language. And they arrange a teacher for Gulliver to teach their language. So, Gulliver loses his this identity also. So, this is the first game that Swift plays with Gulliver’s identity.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in Brobdingnag:

Gulliver’s second voyage is in Brobdingnag. We find totally changed Gulliver here. Here Gulliver is a tiny person and this is the land of Giants. Here people are of 70 feet. Even grass is too giant for Gulliver. This is his second changed identity which stands in contrast with the first changed identity. How do you feel when your identity is constantly losing and you are gaining new identity totally different?

Here in the land of Giants he is merely a creature or rather insect. A sudden and huge change in his identity! He becomes almost voiceless, while in Liliput he is given powerful voice. He is too small for Giants that he is spaced between two fingers of Giants.

Here also he is given more consideration than his own society. But the different is here he is not enjoying his identity and existence. On the contrary he fears. As Liliputians, for Giants also Gulliver is unique but perspectives change! Here also Gulliver is given consideration, but situations changes!

In Liliput, he can be identified as ‘a big fish in a small pond’ while here he is like ‘a frog in ocean’. Here he becomes a thing for entertainment and exhibition. A farmer makes money from Gulliver. No one considers him as a living human being. In Liliput he was ‘a God-like figure’, while in Brobdingnag he is ‘a slave-like creature’. Here as a thing he is bought and sold. People make money from him. Here he almost loses his identity because identity is made when people consider you as a human being. Another thing is with identity Gulliver’s attitude towards his original society and nation also changes.

Gulliver, who enjoyed his identity in Liliput, now hates his living in Brobdingnag. His two voyages show the importance of physical size and power in one’s identity.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in Laputa :

This is his third voyage. Here he finds very surprising world. This is a floating island. Here Gulliver finds himself in dim and gloomy atmosphere because absurdity is more powerful here. Nothing is clear and understandable here. So, Gulliver has to do struggle for making his identity.

Laputa is floating island. It doesn’t remain joined with earth. It is quite symbolic with Gulliver’s identity. Here Gulliver’s identity is also gone in absurdity. A person’s identity is joined by something. Here with whom, with which thing he can join himself? Everything is baseless here. Gulliver sees himself surrounded by complexity. With changing identity his mental state also changes. He feels neglected in Laputa. Here his identity is in danger because without base nothing can be possible.

In Liliput he enjoys, in Brobdingnag he fears while in Laputa he becomes frustrated. These all feelings come from his changing identity. Here, in Laputa he is like ‘a man in sky’, who cannot fly but have to fly for existence. Here ‘sky’ is in a negative meaning. It is attractive, yet not useful. For us, ‘reality is earth, sky is merely an illusion’. Here Gulliver can’t find himself within. This is third and higher level of game Swift plays with Gulliver’s identity.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in the Land of Houyhnhnms:

         This is his forth voyage. Here the biggest change comes in Gulliver’s identity. This is the land of horses not of humans. So, here Gulliver is identified not as a human, but as an animal. This is the greatest transformation of Gulliver from human to animal.

         Here horses are rational and intellectual, while humans are like animals- ugly, dumb and wild. Horses are the ruler of the humans. The interesting thing is here for Gulliver horses are animal, and for horses Gulliver is an animal. Horses can think, speak and rule like human beings. They are called ‘Yahoos’. So, now Gulliver is also coming in yahoo’s category. Swift very rudely twists Gulliver’s identity.

         Only one thing remains same with his identity, throughout his journey. That is “in all four lands, he remains like alien for the people of that land.”  They people decide Gulliver’s identity.

         How swiftly Swift changes Gulliver’s identity! Gulliver’s identity is a progress from optimism to pessimism, transformation from human to an animal. This is the changing identity of Gulliver.