America by Allen Ginsberg | Structure, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse! Allen Ginsberg was a prominent poet of America and an influential figure in the Beat Generation. His literary contributions span poetry, essays, and other forms of writing. He was born on June 3 1926 and died on April 5, 1997. His major poetic collections include "Howl and Other Poems" (1956), "Kaddish and Other Poems" (1961), "The Fall of America" (1973), "Cosmopolitan Greetings: Poems 1986-1992" (1994), and "The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice" (1973). He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1995 for his book Cosmopolitan Greetings.

Some of his most influential poems include "America" (1956), "A Supermarket in California" (1956), and "Sunflower Sutra" (1955). Ginsberg was hugely influenced by the works of the English poet and artist William Blake, the American poet Walt Whitman, and the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. In his poem America, he took inspiration from the epic, free verse style of the 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman. Both wrote passionately about the promise (and betrayal) of American democracy, the central importance of erotic experience, and the spiritual quest for the truth of everyday existence. He also took inspiration from other Modernist poets like William Carlos Williams.

Structure of America:

"America" is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg in 1956. It reflects the poet's feelings about the political and social landscape of the United States during that period. Ginsberg's work often incorporates Beat Generation themes, including counterculture, critique of materialism, and a deep exploration of personal and national identity.

It is a long poem (93 lines) written in eight stanzas of differing lengths. The poem is written in irregular meter or free verse style. The first stanza has sixteen lines, the second and third consist of twelve lines, the fourth and fifth stanzas consist of ten lines each and the last stanza has 33 lines. He followed an irregular rhythm and stream-of-consciousness style to compose this poem. The poem includes a series of rhetorical questions and statements that challenge the status quo.

The poem is a strong critique of American Society. Ginsberg critiques capitalism, war, and consumerism. The poet raises questions against nuclear warfare, foreign policy in Asia, racial unrest in the US, and resistance against communism. The poem is set in the 1950s, the period of the Cold War, the time after the World Wars, when America faced a terrible economic surge.

Ginsberg used Apostrophe, Personification, Anaphora, and Rhetorical Questions in the poem.

Summary of America:

1^st Stanza

Lines 1-16

“America I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.
America two dollars and twentyseven cents January 17, 1956.
I can’t stand my own mind.
(…)
I’m sick of your insane demands.

When can I go into the supermarket and buy what I need with my good looks?”

In the first stanza, Ginsberg sets the tone for a poem that is both a personal and societal commentary. He introduces the idea, time, and context of the poem. The 1^st stanza sets the themes of the poem which are Disillusionment, Rebellion, and Cultural Identity.

The stanza captures a sense of disappointment with the American Dream and the reality of contemporary life. Ginsberg’s tone suggests a yearning for change and a willingness to question authority. The stanza hints at Ginsberg's struggle with his own identity within the American landscape.

The poem begins with an unnamed speaker he has given everything and now he is nothing. He claims he is only worth “two dollars and twentyseven cents” (Line 2), and that he “can’t stand [his] own mind” (Line 3). The speaker is lamenting the turmoils of economic difficulties during the aftermath of the world wars and the ongoing Cold War. The poet Personifies America and uses Apostrophe to directly question the nation as if it is a living answerable man. He accuses the militarism and nuclear proliferation of the country and he tells America to "go fuck yourself with your atom bomb" (5). Ginsberg wonders when America will end the Cold War, and he takes a strong stand against nuclear proliferation. 

The speaker declares that he doesn’t wish to continue the discussion while ignoring that he was the one who started it. He declares that he won’t write anything until "I'm in my right mind" (7). But then he mentions that he will never be in his right mind and thus, he continues to converse and write. He presents America as a lost lover, someone he once loved and saw great promise and potential in; it was a potential for salvation. But now he is frustrated and angrily laments. He asks when America will become the land it once promised to be, when will it become "angelic" (8) (Rhetorical Questioning), when will it see the death and destruction that it has caused, when will it understand that its own political oppression is greater than the political oppression of the "Trotskyites" (communists) that it denounces and goes to war with (11)? Ginsberg laments that the libraries of America, representing the potential of free information and free expression, are "full of tears" (12). In line, 13, “America when will you send your eggs to India?” he criticizes America for failing to aid countries such as India.

He denounces the Corporatism of American life symbolized by "the supermarket" and how those with "good looks" are given easy entry into American wealth (15-16).

2^nd Stanza

Lines 17-28

“America after all it is you and I who are perfect not the next world.”

Your machinery is too much for me.

You made me want to be a saint.

(…)

I haven’t read the newspapers for months, everyday somebody goes on trial for murder.

America I feel sentimental about the Wobblies.

America I used to be a communist when I was a kid I’m not sorry.”

In the second stanza, the speaker tries to find a way to make peace with his lost lover the personified America, and says, "You and I who are perfect". He expresses how much he adored the country "You made me want to be a saint. (19)". He mentions that his first calling was to be a labor lawyer and help the workers but he chose to be a poet (saint) instead because of the optimism and promise America offered him. The speaker admits that he cannot "give up my obsession (24)." It is an obsession with the promise of America, with the things that he once believed deeply in (justice, tolerance, freedom, and acceptance). Throughout the stanza, the speaker tries to find a way of reconciliation with his beloved nation America "There must be some other way to settle this argument (20)."

He mentions William S. Burroughs, who, after a run-in with the law, moved to Tangiers, Morocco where he was in a kind of exile from the United States because of legal problems related to the transport of illegal drugs from Mexico. He accuses America's demonization and isolation of its great artists and supports the idea of legalizing marijuana (Beat Generation).

In line 26 (the Plum Blossom are falling), he uses Imagery. In Eastern cultures, plum blossoms are a symbol of peace. The speaker laments America’s essence as a benevolent leader of the world is in decline. He accuses America of violence and deterioration, he has not "read the newspapers for months" and that the reason is because "everyday somebody goes on trial for murder" (27-28).

Stanza 3

Lines 29-40

“America I feel sentimental about the Wobblies.

America I used to be a communist when I was a kid I’m not sorry.   

I smoke marijuana every chance I get.

(…)

I have mystical visions and cosmic vibrations.

America I still haven’t told you what you did to Uncle Max after he came over from Russia.

I’m addressing you.”

In line 29, Ginsberg shows his support for the Wobblies. The Wobblies was a nickname given to The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)  that leaned strongly towards Socialist and leftist policies. The Wobblies were harshly criticized by the United States government which largely shut down the group during World War I by prosecuting and politically embarrassing many of its leaders. In line 30, he mentions his childhood. His own mother was a supporter of Socialists. He tells America that as a child he was a communist (30) and is not sorry for that fact.

This stanza is like a confession of Ginsberg. He also mentions his support for legalizing marijuana and says he smokes whenever he gets a chance (31). He mentions he gets drunk in Chinatown and reads the books of Karl Marx. While the speaker declares his Communist affiliations, he stresses that he is not sorry for that,  he "won't say the Lord's Prayer (37)." In line 39, he mentions his uncle Max Livergant who came to America from Russia but suffered hardship because of his socialist leanings.

Stanza 4

Lines 41-50

“Are you going to let your emotional life be run by Time Magazine?   

I’m obsessed by Time Magazine.

(...)  

It occurs to me that I am America.

I am talking to myself again.”

In this stanza, the speaker shifts his perspective from politics towards media. During the 1960s Ginsberg got a lot of media attention due to his political activism and Beat culture. He never shied away from the media but also kept criticizing America's growing reliance on media. He mentions how he is “obsessed with Time Magazine” (Line 40), and here he admits that in his obsession with this magazine, he has realized that he is America.
Time Magazine was the most-read periodical in America. The speaker criticizes America for not just for seeing all events through the lens of the media (represented by Time) but also for letting its "emotional life" be affected by the magazine. He suggests that the country is really being run by the media, which can affect the emotional outcry of citizens who can then strike fear into their elected representatives. Political and social decisions, therefore, are not being made on rational and humanitarian bases. Instead, they are being made by leaders who are more afraid of how the media might portray them for their decisions.

But then, he confesses that he too reads Time Magazine every week. While he accused America of being too reliant on media, he admits that he, who hopes to hold himself to a higher standard of justice and love, cannot escape the way his own perception of events is clouded by media interpretation. Thus, he admits that he is as guilty as America.

Stanza 5

Lines 51-60

“Asia is rising against me.

I haven’t got a chinaman’s chance.

(...)

I have abolished the whorehouses of France, Tangiers is the next to go.

My ambition is to be President despite the fact that I’m a Catholic.”

In this stanza, the speaker turns his perspective to politics again and begins expressing his stream of consciousness. He begins by mentioning the rise of China as a communist power in Asia. The U.S. and U.S.S.R competed to affect the internal politics of China for a long period. The Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 with the victory of the Communist Party of China. It meant that China will align with Russia which was a setback for US foreign relations in Asia. At the same time, the speaker is stressing his own alignment with Asian culture and religion. Ginsberg, along with other Beat artists (Kerouac and Neal Cassidy) adopted Buddhism and Hinduism).

In the last stanza, the speaker admits that he is America himself but Buddhism stands for peace, love, and transcendence which is against all that America represents (violence, greed, consumerism). He continues to represent himself as the personified country America and says it is "better consider my national resources." He has "two joints of marijuana millions of genitals / an unpublishable private literature..." (54). The speaker criticizes the cultural deterioration of America and how the lifestyle that he lives (drugs, sex, art) is a poor resource for the monumental challenge to his identity and the political identity of the country. He mentions “jetplanes 1400 miles an hour and twentyfive-thousand mental institutions" (55-56) and offers a stark contrast. He questions why a country with such technological advances criminalizes and punishes its insane in such inhumane ways, or, rather why if the country is so advanced, its citizens are going insane? He further notices that despite all the hype about American riches, there are many in "...my prisons...(and) the millions of underprivileged...(57)" He further accuses the discrimination in America. Ginsberg was a jew by birth but he mentions himself as a Catholic because it was believed that a Catholic could never gain success in America and be its president, Catholics suffered religious discrimination in America.

Stanza 6

Lines 61-77

“America how can I write a holy litany in your silly mood?

I will continue like Henry Ford my strophes are as individual as his automobiles more so they’re all different sexes.

(…)

Ewig-Weibliche made me cry I once saw the Yiddish orator Israel Amter plain.

Everybody must have been a spy.

America you don’t really want to go to war.”

The speaker begins striking against America’s economic policies. He accuses America of being in a "silly mood" and that this prevents him from writing a true "holy litany" of the country's faults. He mentions Henry Ford, whose assembly line method of production revolutionized industry in the beginning of the twentieth century and made America the economic superpower. The speaker suggests that maybe he too should begin producing poetry like Henry Ford and should think about profits only. He suggests this is the American way, Everything is done for profit and nothing valuable comes without business sense. However, this creates injustice, discrimination, and partiality, he laments. The speaker then demands justice from America by mentioning the historical case “free Tom Mooney (65).” Tom Mooney was a labor leader in the early twentieth century who had been falsely imprisoned for a San Francisco bombing in 1916. "...save the Spanish Loyalists" (66), the leftist army supported by the Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War who fought the Fascist uprising supported by Nazi Germany. The speaker also mentions Sacco & Vanzetti (67) who were two Italian laborers in America who were accused of murder and tried without due process. They were executed, sparking a controversy over the rights of the accused. He continues offering similar examples of injustice being done in American courts. At the end of the stanza, the speaker makes a sarcastic comment and says that everyone must be imprisoned because "Everybody must have been a spy (76)". In the last line of the stanza, the speaker makes a plea, "America you don't really want to go to war," and asks America to correct his ways.

Stanza 7

Lines 78-86

“America its them bad Russians.

Them Russians them Russians and them Chinamen. And them Russians.   

The Russia wants to eat us alive. The Russia’s power mad. She wants to take our cars from out our garages.

Her wants to grab Chicago. Her needs a Red Reader’s Digest. Her wants our auto plants in Siberia. Him big bureaucracy running our fillingstations.

That no good. Ugh. Him make Indians learn read. Him need big black niggers. Hah. Her make us all work sixteen hours a day. Help.”  

In the penultimate stanza, the speaker mocks America’s paranoia against the socialists and communists, and rants against America's discriminatory attitudes, its unthinking patriotism, and its unjust treatment of minority racial and political groups.

He retorts that the antagonists are Russians and Chinamen, the socialists. He then makes fun of America's paranoia over communist Russia by making ridiculous statements like "Russia wants to eat us alive" "She wants to take our cars from out our garages" and "Her wants to grab Chicago" (80-82). The speaker makes fun of such misdirected fears of common American citizens who hardly know the true political discrimination being supported by their own government.

Stanza 8

Lines 87-93

“America this is quite serious.

America this is the impression I get from looking in the television set.   

America is this correct?

I’d better get right down to the job.

It’s true I don’t want to join the Army or turn lathes in precision parts factories, I’m nearsighted and psychopathic anyway.

America I’m putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.”

In the last stanza, the speaker gives up his mocking and sarcastic run and returns to serious speech. He already accused America of all the atrocities but now he is in disbelief that America could be so atrocious, discriminatory, and wrong. But then he says “this is the impression I get from looking in the television set (88)”, again accusing the media. He questions if it is correct.

He still hopes to bring the change and is willing to do as much as he could do, "get right down to the job" (90), to bring the better days. He then mentions that he cannot join the Army, nor can work in factories not only because of his political and social beliefs but also because he's "nearsighted and psychopathic anyway (92)." So he is physically and mentally unfit to be in the Army or factories. In the last line, the speaker declares that whatever he could do, he will do with utmost sincerity and devotion, “my queer shoulder to the wheel (93).” Putting one's shoulder to the wheel is an expression of hard work and labor but queer means soft and effeminate. The speaker states that he will prove that even the outcasts, the weak, and the effeminate can affect change.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

The Last Labyrinth by Arun Joshi | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Last Labyrinth is the fourth novel by Arun Joshi which was published in 1981. Arun Joshi got the Sahitya Academy Award for the same book in 1983.

It is an existentialist novel about a hugely successful businessman detached from his cultural and spiritual roots. The protagonist, Som Bhaskar, not yet forty, is the millionaire and should have a lot to be contented about. He is married to an intelligent girl, has two children, and is the master of a flourishing business. Yet, he continues to suffer a sense of insufficiency, an obsessive desire to want something that he doesn’t know. He tries to satiate his unknown hunger through materialistic means. He gets completely immersed in earning wealth and overtaking any company that may offer competition. Despite having a beautiful and devoted wife, he begins having affairs with other women. Yet, all these perversions fail to satisfy his hunger. Ultimately, he faces the struggle within himself and realizes that his hunger is not sensual but spiritual. Arun Joshi used symbolism throughout the nove. Labyrinth is a symbol that signifies an individual’s quest to find the purpose of his life. Life is a labyrinth, and so is death. The protagonist struggles with his identity and the labyrinth of societal expectations, love, and loss, and then he realizes that what he seeks is Nirvana or freedom from the labyrinth of life.

Characters of The Last Labyrinth:

Som Bhaskar is the main character of the novel. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and got the best education and facilities throughout his life. He appears to be a confident businessman who never faced a defeat, However, within himself, he suffers a hollowness, confusion, and a sudden urge to acquire more, and more without realizing what he actually wants. He is in his forties. Geeta is his beautiful and intelligent wife with whom he has two children. He is aware of the fact that he cannot imagine his life without his wife Geeta in spite of that he develops sexual relationships with different women in order to judge the relationship between contraries of his own life. He develops a relationship with Leela Sabnis, a professor of philosophy. However, Leela’s intellectual world fails to satiate Bhaskar who finds her phoney. Aftab Rai is another businessman from Benaras. Som-Bhaskar finds him strange, and obsolete. He wonders how Aftab could remain so calm and composed. Anuradha is Aftab Rai’s wife. Bhaskar gets infatuated with her and begins pursuing her. His infatuation soon turns into obsession and he begins trying everything possible to attain Anuradha. Like, her husband, Anuradha too is a calm and composed woman. Bhaskar feels mysteriously attracted to her. When she meets Bhaskar, she gets interested in his puzzled yet energetic approach. She develops an affair with him but when she realizes that he is getting obsessed and has made an aim to acquire the money and wife of Aftab Rai, she rejects him. Thapar is a sincere assistant and business manager of Bhaskar who tries to warn him against the ill-perceived decisions that continue to harm Bhaskar’s business and family. Gargi is a highly spiritual and intellectual woman who often remains silent. She manages to help Bhaskar.

Summary of The Last Labyrinth:

Som Bhaskar is leading a successful life as a businessman. He got married to the girl he loved at the age of 25 and now he has two children with her. He successfully runs an industrial empire and has millions in the bank. Despite having all conceivable luxury, Bhaskar continues to feel a certain unfulfillment, a hunger that he fails to ascertain. He remains confused about his wants and tries to rationalize his insatiable hunger by indulging in voracious materialism. He is a thwarted soul who is engrossed neck-deep in attaining materialistic wealth. His residence is also named Maya, echoing the web of wealth. Som is completely immersed in earning wealth and overtaking other companies and businesses. While doing so, he becomes distant from his family, his wife, and two children. He married Geeta whom he loved and he knows that he cannot imagine a life without her, yet he begins an extramarital affair with Leela Sabnis, a professor of philosophy. Som Bhaskar is an Indian man highly influenced by Western materialistic ideas. However, his own ideas fail to satiate his inner self. Leela understands that despite his materialistic success, Som Bhaskar is troubled because he has been uprooted from his spiritual and cultural berths. She tries to help him but Bhaskar feels she is a phoney and parts his ways with her.

One day, he visits Delhi to attend a meeting of the Plastic Manufacturers Association where he meets

a mysteriously impressive businessman from Benaras named Aftab Rai. Unlike other modern businessmen and technocrats, Bhaskar finds Aftab a bit obsolete and out of fashion. In the same meeting, he sees a woman named Anuradha. She too appeared as if she is from a different age. She did not look modern and clever She wore costumes of twenty years ago-brocade sari, large gold borders, sleeves up to the elbow, and antique jewelry. When he enquires about her, he comes to know that she is accompanied by Aftab Rai. He recognizes the similarity between the two and assumes that Anuradha is Aftab’s wife.

He begins feeling attracted towards Anuradha as if she can offer him all that he has been wanting throughout his life. He tries to come near to Anuradha and begins making business trips to Benaras. He visits Aftab and Anuradha at their home Lal Haveli in Benaras. Like the couple, their Haveli too appears mysteriously grand, yet obsolete. Aftab says that the Lal Haveli is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, and he can easily get lost in the labyrinth thus he should remain cautious.

Bhaskar comes to know that Anuradha is not Aftab’s legal wife and he makes it a goal to acquire Anuradha for himself. When he observes the couple, he feels that she is an embodiment of selfless love in a world of selfish people. She represents true independence of body and of mind. Bhaskar believes that Anuradha can help him search his self because there is something in Anuradha that gives him comfort and he tries to find out the reason behind it. Anuradha realizes that Bhaskar is infatuated by her and curiously, she develops a physical relationship with him. When Anuradha realizes that Bhaskar wishes to win her heart too and not merely possess her body she simply disappears from his life. However, Bhaskar develops an obsession for her and in order to win her, he decides to take over the businesses and companies of Aftab Rai. He vehemently begins harming Aftab’s business interests. But while doing so, he begins harming his own business, family, and health. Anuradha’s conduct is beyond Bhaskar`s comprehension. She accepts, rejects, or flees from him without warning, and he even suspects that she has some agreement with Geeta. His trusty associate convinces him to return to Bombay.

Bhaskar returns to Bombay but suffers a massive heart attack which nearly kills him. As soon as he recovers he tries to contact Anuradha who refuses to meet him. Bhaskar starts feeling more isolated and lonely and a sense of inadequacy, restlessness, and aimlessness develops in him. Consumed by revenge, Bhaskar starts to buy up all shares of Aftab's company to the agony of Thapar, his assistant. But one block of shares is tied up in a temple far away in the mountains.

A frustrated Bhaskar determines to have both Anuradha and the shares and sets out on a pilgrimage. They travel the long and winding road to a small town nestling in the hills, run the gauntlet of a string of lepers, and finally get to the temple to which the shares of Aftab’s company were assigned. He meets Gargi there who appears to be a mystique and saintly. Gargi realizes that Bhaskar is spiritually troubled. He learns that Gagri is the daughter of a Sufi saint and she speaks very less. He feels that Gargi could help him. Gargi listens to him and agrees to offer him all the shares for free. Bhaskar couldn’t realize that he could attain those shares so easily. He begins a conversation with Gargi. Gargi says, "We are all children trying to reach up to a crack in the door to peep into a room."

Bhaskar says that he is an atheist who doesn’t believe in God. Gargi tells him that “there is no harm in believing that God exists”. The urge to find solutions to all his problems makes Som believe in the existence of a supreme power, a prime mover of the entire universe. Gargi has comprehended him with the existence of God. It was the eve of Janmashtami and people began celebrating the occasion. Bhaskar remembers that his mother was a deep follower of Krishna. She was suffering from cancer and still believed that Krishna would give her the power to fight the disease. He remembers that Anuradha too is a staunch devotee of Krishna. He begins feeling spiritually enlightened. He feels that to be free, he needed to sacrifice and the eternal he felt for Anuradha was what he had to sacrifice. He begins feeling satiated and devotes himself to Lord Krishna.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

The Apprentice by Arun Joshi | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Apprentice is a novel by Arun Joshi that was published in 1974. His novels have characters who are urban, English-speaking, and disturbed for some reason. He often explored the shallowness and struggles of the middle class. The Apprentice is unique because of the techniques of first-person confessional narrative that Arun Joshi used in this novel. The novel is shaped as a series of dramatic monologues spoken by the protagonist-narrator to a listener, or reader. ‘The Apprentice’ is predominantly about money, power, politics and corruption. The novel basically deals with how the New Slavery has come into existence after independence with new masters: politicians, officials (bureaucrats), and the rich. The novel offers the protagonist's confrontation with his own self, inner and outer, probe directly into his psyche and lays it bare for the reader to examine. The novel explores the drawbacks of the socio-political system of Post-independence India.

Characters of The Apprentice:

Ratan Rathor is the protagonist and the narrator of the novel. Most of the novel is presented as his dramatic monologues as if he is presenting an autobiography. Ratan is the son of a reputed lawyer and a patriotic freedom fighter. Rathor is from Punjab and grew up in the foothills of Punjab. His father was a follower of Gandhian philosophy. He decided to donate all his property and completely devote himself to the Indian freedom struggle. Ratan’s mother opposed her husband and tried to convince him that money matters more than patriotism. Ratan observed the contrast between selfless patriotism and materialism within his home. His father gets killed during a procession against the British rulers. Ratan finds it difficult to find a job in the newly independent India. Somehow, he gets a temporary clerk’s job in a Government office, dealing with war purchases.

Brigadier is one of Ratan’s childhood friends. Brigdier’s father died at an early age and his mother and elder sister worked hard to offer him good education. Later on, he becomes a reputed military officer and faces the enemies five times in the battleground. Brigadier is an honest and brave army man while Ratan is the exact opposite, he is a coward. The superintendent is the boss of the government office where Ratan works. Ratan works hard to please his superintendent. The superintendent encourages him to take bribes from the dealers. Ratan realizes that a successful career cannot be achieved through diligence and sincerity, but be realized through flattery and cunning. The superintendent offers a recommendation for a permanent job for Ratan on his assurance that he would marry the superintendent’s niece Geetu. Sheikh Himmat Singh is a corrupt dealer and businessman who facilitates weapons and other necessities for the Indian army.

Summary of The Apprentice:

The novel begins as Ratan Rathor meets an N.C.C. cadet who came to New Delhi to participate in the Republic Day parade. Ratan begins a conversation with him and he comes to know that the student is requesting him to direct him towards grounds to attend rallies. Ratan continues his conversation with the student in a nearby shop, he takes him there for tea because that tea shop seems to be the best of the neighborhood and adds that the proprietor is an excellent man. When the student enquires him about his residence he explains that he lives in a government colony, which are identical flats, yellow by day and colorless at night with an occasional park, a library without books, a boy’s school, a girl’s school, a sub-station, an area neither poor, rich nor hostile, friendly. Ratan begins telling his story to this young N.C.C cadet.

Ratan is from Punjab. His father was a successful lawyer and a Gandhian follower who took an active part in the Indian struggle for Independence. Ratan admired and supported his father when his father decided to donate all his money and devote all his energies to the processions against the tyrannical British government. Her mother was suffering from tuberculosis but preferred staying at home instead of going to the hospital to save money. She opposes her husband’s decision to stop working as an advocate and donate all his money to the freedom struggle and says, “It was not patriotism but money, she said, that brought respect and bought security. Money made friends. Money succeeded where all else failed. There were many laws, she said, but money was law unto itself.”

Ratan had a friend named Brigadier who once saved him against the bullies in a sugarcane field. Brigadier had lost his father at an early age and Ratan’s father helped his family to keep up with his education. Brigadier is a brilliant student and he continues to excel but never forgets the struggles his mother and elder sister go through for his proper upbringing. During a procession against the British government, Ratan’s father too dies during the lathicharge. After his graduation, Ratan tries to find a job but fails to get any. He decides to be a part of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj and leaves his home. But much before he can reach his destination, he realizes that he is too cowardly to be a freedom fighter and returns home.

After the Independence, his mother advises him to go to Delhi to seek a job. She manages to get a letter of recommendation for him from one of the friends of Ratan’s father. In his search for employment, he realizes that the posts advertised are already filled in some manner. Even his father’s friends could not come to his aid to find a job for him. During his stay in Delhi, he gets shelter in a sarai (inn) beside a masque where several others also occupy the same room with him. A stenographer living at the same inn manages a temporary job for him in a Government office, dealing with war purchases.

Ratan distances himself from his friends at the inn and devotes all his energies to pleasing his boss, the superintendent of the office. He remembers how his late father despised the clerical jobs as bourgeois filth. He works hard to please his superintendent. In a very short period of time over six months, on the recommendation of the superintendent, he gets confirmation in the service on his assurance that he would marry the superintendent’s niece. Henceforth he never looks back and on the superintendent’s retirement, he gets this most coveted post which brings him every comfort in his life. With the accumulation of riches, Ratan rather gets himself associated with the pleasure of wine and women in Bombay. The superintendent teaches him the tricks of making money and Ratan begins taking bribes. In the Post-independence era where career and class define any human in addition to it is the period of an inferno of corruption, Ratan also goes in the pursuit of career “one had to live. At the earlier stage of his career, he hesitates in taking bribes but with the words of his superintend he justifies his deed that there was no point in looking for truths aside from the truth of God. Money in the world always changed hands. God was only concerned with what one did with the money.

During the Indo-China war, a dealer named Sheikh Himmat Singh approaches him and offers a great deal of money as a bribe for supplying substandard war items during the emergency. The substandard material causes a great deal of loss to the Indian Army. An inquiry is staged to find out the causes. Ratan fears that he may get caught so he deceives his very close friend, Brigadier, by giving a false statement without admitting his crime. The inquiry committee finally submitted that the Brigadier was responsible for the substandard war material.

Ultimately, the Brigadier commits suicide. His best friend Brigadier’s death acts as an eye-opener for Ratan, he never confesses his guilt but tries to redeem himself. He thinks of confessing his crime but fears losing his reputation.

He realizes that there is nothing unethical about the fact that the son of the freedom fighter runs after a bureaucratic career. But it is highly illegal, unethical, and unscrupulous that he should get corrupt and act against the national interest. During the time of the nation’s adversity, he was not the only one to gain prosperity by clearing sub-standard war materials supplied by Sheikh Himmat Singh, being used in the Indo-China war without caring for the lives of innocent people.

He begins serving poor people and washing their feet every day at a temple. He also vows to correct his wrong by discovering and exposing the real corrupt person behind the debacle of substandard war material. He begins pursuing Sheikh Himmat Singh to take revenge. He blames the Sheikh for all this mess because he was the one who brought the offer to Ratan. But when Ratan confronts the Sheikh and puts a gun on his head to kill him, Himmat Singh reveals that it was not his idea to get the clearing for substandard war material. He reveals that the whole plan was of the Minister and his Secretary and they chose Ratan to be a part of the plan because he was a ‘spineless flunkey’. Ratan realizes that the whole Department right from the Minister to the peon is corrupt. He further learns that Himmat Singh didn’t become a part of the conspiracy for money, as he already has a lot of money. But Himmat Singh assisted in the plan because he despised the whole society and wanted the whole system to do bad. He got involved in such a crooked act of ignoring the safety of the lives of innocent people because he despises society as a whole and just wishes for destruction and disaster for all. He belonged to a poor family and witnessed his mother being forced to sell herself to feed him. His past memories filled such venom in him that he just seeks revenge against society. Ratan learns that Himmat Singh too was the son of a revolutionary and should have become a revolutionary in post-independent India but he too falls victim to the socio-political set-up of new India. Ratan realizes that there was no specific reason for taking the bribe – neither need nor compulsion. Yet, Ratan feels the need to justify himself and despite knowing everything, he deceives Himmat Singh and holds him responsible for the supply of defective materials. Himmat Singh retorts and says, “You are bogus, Ratan Rathor…. from to bottom. Your work, your religion, your friendship, your honor... nothing but a pile of dung”.

So this is it for today! We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal by William Wordsworth | Structure, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’ is one of the Lucy poems written by William Wordsworth that was published in his and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poetic collection Lyrical Ballads in 1798. The primary focus of the poem is on the death of a young woman named Lucy (though she remains unnamed in this poem). Many scholars and literary historians have offered theories about who Lucy was, but her true identity remains a mystery. It is the shortest of the Lucy poems comprising just two stanzas (quatrains) or eight lines. Despite being a short poem, the lyrical quatrains contain a lot of meaning in them. The speaker is initially unaware of loss and death but soon he learns a harsh lesson when the woman dies. William Wordsworth's poem "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" serves as a poignant exploration of grief, loss, and the nature of existence. The poem resonates with readers on multiple levels through its concise structure, evocative language, and thematic depth. Written during the Romantic period, the poem reflects Romantic ideals such as an emphasis on emotion, nature, and the individual's experience. Wordsworth's work often highlights the relationship between humanity and the natural world, as well as introspective themes related to human emotion. Samuel Taylor Coleridge described the poem as a "sublime epitaph." This endorsement from a fellow Romantic poet highlights the poem's impact and significance within the literary community. The poem serves as a reminder of the delusional "slumber" in which many people live, often ignoring the inevitability of death. 

Structure of A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal:

The poem consists of Two Quatrains or four-line stanzas. The rhyming scheme is ABAB for both stanzas. This means that the first and third lines rhyme, as well as the second and fourth lines.

The poem follows a common meter also known as the ballad meter. It alternates between lines of eight syllables and lines of six syllables, and it always follows an iambic stress pattern in which each unstressed syllable is followed by one stressed syllable. The language is simple yet evocative, utilizing natural imagery, symbols, and sensory details to convey emotions. The structure complements the themes of death, loss, and eternal peace, creating a reflective and somber tone.

Wordsworth used Personification, Imagery, Metaphor, Contrast, Alliteration, and Symbolism in the poem.

Themes of A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal:

The central theme of the poem revolves around Grief and Mortality and the emotional impact it has on the speaker. The poem reflects the speaker's feelings about the death of a loved one, emphasizing a sense of numbness and detachment. The line "A slumber did my spirit seal" suggests a state of emotional paralysis, indicating that the speaker's spirit is sealed away from the pain of reality.

The poem explores the nature of existence, the transience of life, and the inevitability of death. It raises questions about what it means to truly live and feel, especially in the face of loss. The phrase "She seemed a thing that could not feel" highlights the contrast between life and death, suggesting that once someone has passed, their essence becomes distant and unreachable.

Summary of A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal:

Stanza 1 Lines 1-4

“A slumber did my spirit seal;

I had no human fears:

She seemed a thing that could not feel

The touch of earthly years.”
The speaker begins by describing a state that he has been living in for an extended period of time. He declares that a "slumber" has kept him from realizing reality. In essence, he has been in a dream-like state, devoid of any common fears ("human fears"). To the speaker, "she" (his unnamed female love) seemed like she would never age, her beauty and his love for her are permanent. The speaker is innocently unaware that age can touch the woman, but he is quickly taught a harsh lesson when she dies.

It may also be the case that the woman may not be real at all but a magical figure the speaker seems to have built up in his mind into a goddess, untouched by age and mortality. This desire to keep her perpetually young is a testament to the speaker's feelings for the young woman.

Stanza 2 Lines 5-8

“No motion has she now, no force;

She neither hears nor sees;

Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,

With rocks, and stones, and trees.”

The second stanza of the poem speaks of the speaker’s realization as his illusion breaks. His love now has “no motion” or is forced to move through the world. Additionally, time and death have taken her sight and hearing from her. Aging has done to her what it does to every other living thing and she has become a true part of the earth. Just as the “rocks, and stones, and trees” change with time, so now, the speaker sees, does Lucy.  

Wordsworth offers an eerie description of the woman's current situation. She is blind and deaf--wholly incapable of taking in the world around her. In the last two lines, the speaker describes the young woman trapped beneath the surface of the earth. In fact, she has become a part of the earth, rolling with it as it turns day to day.

Wordsworth employed powerful imagery and symbols to convey the emotional weight of the subject matter. The speaker's "slumber" is a symbol of the willful ignorance in which people often lead their lives. Day to day, the speaker suggests, most people don't really consider the reality of death, preferring instead to remain dreamily unconscious, "seal[ed]" away from the fact that everyone will eventually die. Inevitably, though, the grief of losing a loved one comes to wake up everyone who "slumbers," forcing them to finally confront mortality. "The touch of earthly years" symbolizes the passage of time and the experiences that shape human life. This phrase evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminding readers of the fleeting nature of existence.

The "rocks, and stones, and trees" mentioned in the poem's final line symbolize the stillness of death. In death, the speaker's beloved has now become as still and passive as these objects: she can't move, hear, or see any more than a stone can. Her soul is gone, and her body is just a thing among things. But this image also provides a little hint of consolation. In becoming like "rocks, and stones, and trees," the dead beloved also becomes a part of nature.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower by William Wordsworth | Structure, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. ‘Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower’ is the longest of the Lucy poems written by William Wordsworth. He composed the poem in 1798 and it was published in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads in 1798. This poem is different from the other four Lucy poems as the poet personified Nature itself describes Lucy in the poem. In addition, it is the only poem that describes Lucy in much detail. Most of the other Lucy poems present her as more of a phantom or a shadow, focusing on the speaker's grief at losing her. But this poem describes Lucy's grace, wisdom, cheer, and calm by picturing her as Nature's child. The poem's tone is reflective and nostalgic, emphasizing the beauty of innocence and the bittersweet nature of growth and loss. The themes of innocence, nature and humanity, mortality and grief, and life cycle are woven throughout the poem. Wordsworth lost his daughter Catherine who died of Polio. Lucy is a symbol of his daughter in this poem.

Structure of ‘Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower’:

The poem consists of seven six-line stanzas or sestets with a rhyming scheme of AABCCB. The stanzas imitate the extended rhyming scheme of ballad stanzas. The poet used iambs in all the lines. Two iambic tetrameter lines alternated with an iambic trimeter line. The poem’s speaker is the same lover of Lucy who mourned her death in other poems. In this poem, however, the speaker claims that Nature—personified as a proper noun—spoke up about Lucy. The poet used Personification, Imagery, Symbolism, Alliteration, Metaphor, Repetition, Contrast, and Enjambment in the poem.

Nature is personified as a mighty but affectionate deity, the poem suggests that the natural world can be a guide, a teacher, and a parent—and that human beings might hope to model themselves on nature's example. Nature is often described as nurturing and caring for Lucy, suggesting that elements like the sun and showers actively contribute to her growth. This highlights the deep connection between Lucy and her environment.

Summary of Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower:

Stanza 1 Lines 1-6

“Three years she grew in sun and shower,

Then Nature said, "A lovelier flower

On earth was never sown;

This Child I to myself will take;

She shall be mine, and I will make

A Lady of my own.”

The speaker begins the poem by describing a lively young three-year-old, playing in the sun or in the rain. But she was too lovely for the earth, or so Nature decided. The speaker suggests that Nature has taken the child for herself because she was too beautiful for the earth. Nature is personified and quoted as finding the girl so beautiful that it decided to take her and make her its own. Nature is quoted as comparing the girl to a flower, just as flowers also need sun and rain to thrive. It claims that she is so beautiful that it wishes to “take” her. The description of a “child” portrays the girl in an innocent light. Nature decided to “take” the girl and groom her into a lovely “Lady” of its own creation. The poet used alliteration in the first line (sun and shower) while the girl is compared to ‘a lovelier flower,’ a metaphor. Sun symbolizes joy, life, and growth while the Shower represents sorrow, challenges, and nurturing elements of life.

Stanza 2 Lines 7-12

"Myself will to my darling be

Both law and impulse: and with me

The Girl, in rock and plain,

In earth and heaven, in glade and bower,

Shall feel an overseeing power

To kindle or restrain.”

The speaker continues to express and quote nature. Personified Nature continues to explain how it plans to nurture the growing girl. It will be her guide, setting rules for her and allowing her to indulge in impulses as well. The girl will be closely connected to all things in nature, living among them in harmony. Nature will further have the power to oversee the girl’s actions and choose when her decisions and desires should be kindled and when they should be restrained. The poet depicts nature as a parent or teacher, representing the typical aspect of Romantic literature, suggesting that nature can educate us by showing us how to live. Nature says that he will guide the girl in “both law and impulse,” indicating that it will guide the girl through her impulses while also helping her curb them to follow the laws, or rules, of life.

Stanza 3 Lines 13-18

"She shall be sportive as the fawn

That wild with glee across the lawn

Or up the mountain springs;

And hers shall be the breathing balm,

And hers the silence and the calm

Of mute insensate things.”

In the third stanza, the speaker continues to quote nature who depicts her as a free nonchalant girl.  Nature says that although it will keep a close eye on her, it will also allow her to express herself and embrace her vitality in full. She will be as “sportive” as a fawn, leaping across the meadows. She will have the energy and the drive to climb mountains. At the same time, her energy and movement are contrasted with silence and calm. Nature’s mention of “breathing balm” implies that she will also learn the importance of slowing down, breathing, and finding calm after going on adventures. Muteness will be good for her spirit and is necessary to exist happily in nature. Despite her vitality, she is capable of being tamed. As in the previous stanzas, natural elements are contrasted (earth/heaven, sun/shower) but also shown to be in harmony. All these elements coexist and together encompass life.

Stanza 4 Lines 19-24

"The floating clouds their state shall lend

To her; for her the willow bend;

Nor shall she fail to see

Even in the motions of the Storm

Grace that shall mould the Maiden's form

By silent sympathy.”

 Nature describes the girl in a peaceful setting. The clouds are depicted as pillows offering her rest and comfort, and the willow tree offers her shade. The girl is the speaker’s muse. She is intertwined with nature, depicted as resting calmly in the clouds or finding shade under a willow. She is as vital and inspirational as all the elements of nature to the Romantic poet. The “storm” may represent the trials of life, inferring that the woman will learn to handle conflicts gracefully and come out the other side with her dignity intact. By weathering such storms, she will grow into a young maiden and will no longer be a little girl. Thus, life experience will help her mature and show “silent sympathy,” or compassion, to those around her. Alternatively, the storm may serve as a metaphor for the poet’s creative process. Nature imagines that she should never “fail to see” the “silent sympathy” he feels for her.

Stanza 5 Lines 25-30

“To stars of midnight shall be dear
To her; and she shall lean her ear
In many a secret place
Where rivulets dance their wayward round
And beauty born of murmuring sound
shall pass into her face”

Nature imagines the maiden in a celestial light as she is described as communing with the stars. suggesting that somehow she may be linked to the afterlife. She is depicted as being so in tune with Nature that she is privy to its every rhythm—from the glow of the stars to the movement of the rivulets. The reference to rivulets, or running water, also evokes an image of purity. Nature claims that the maiden will “lean her ear,” or listen closely, in secret places where such clear and beautiful water dances. The sound the water makes is like a murmur, allowing the maiden to have a conversation with it. Her closeness to the water’s beauty will allow her to soak up that loveliness herself, once again putting her in harmony with nature. The speaker imagines that she is enjoying her existence as she moves about in the night, being loved by the stars and all the heavenly beings.

Stanza 6 Lines 31-36

“And vital feelings of delight
shall rear her form to stately height
her virgin bosom swell;
such thoughts to Lucy I will give
While she and I together live
Here in this happy dell”

In this stanza, the speaker expresses his own feelings. The speaker expresses his belief that although Lucy is no longer alive in earthly terms, she will still experience “vital feelings of delight” as she grows up into her “stately height” and into maturity. The imagery of her rearing her form “to stately height” and of “her virgin bosom swell[ing]” reveals his belief that wherever she is, wherever Nature has taken her, she will continue to grow up there, with all feelings of life and vitality. Nature has ‘taken’ her and now as an ideal maiden, she lives a larger-than-life life together with Nature.

Stanza 7 Lines 37-42

“Thus Nature spake- the work was done
How soon my Lucy’s race was run!
She died, and left to me
This heath, this calm, and quiet scene;
The memory of what has been,
And never more will be.”

In the final stanza, the speaker concludes nature’s monologue depicting Lucy. Nature expressed his desire for Lucy and decided to ‘take’ her and groom her. Now, the Nature’s work is done. However, Nature is not calm as he announces the death of Lucy. Nature cries out that Lucy’s “race”—her life—was run too soon, telling the reader that she died young. Once she died, she left the speaker the natural environment she once inhabited, as well as the memory of all she was and experienced, but will never be or feel again.

The speaker and nature can find no joy in being in the very spot where Lucy lived. He is haunted by the memory of what “has been”—whether they be his own experiences or hers. Whatever good may have once existed in that place will never exist again.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!