JOHN DONNE AND OTHERS METAPHYSICAL POETS OF 17TH CENTURY

JOHN DONNE AND OTHERS METAPHYSICAL POETS OF 17TH CENTURY

    JOHN DONNE

John Donne was born in 1575, he started writing in 1590’s through the Jacobean age and died in 1631.Thus he is a conceiting link between the Elizabethan age and Puritan Age. The age of Donne comprising the last decade of 16^th century and early decades of 17^th century is therefore, an age of transition. By this time the Renaissance impulse has exhausted itself, the Elizabethan zest for life is gone, and the Elizabethan exuberance and optimism has been succeeded by a mood of apprehension, disillusionment and defeat.

The poetry of John Donne may be divided into two groups-(1) Secular poems and (2) Divine poems. The secular poems comprise:

SONG AND SONNETS

• The Elegies
• The Satires
• Verse Letters
• Epithalamiums
• The progress of Soul
• Epicedes and Obsequies
• The Anniversaries

DONNE RELIGIOUS POETRY

• The Divine Poems
• Holly Sonnets
• Miscellaneous Divine poems

DONNE’S PROSE WORK

• Paradox and Problem
• Biathanatos
• Pseudo-martyr
• Ignatius His Conclave
• Essays in Divinity
• Devotions
• Sermons

GEORGE HERBERT

The age of Herbert’s poetry is limited; he wrote only on religious themes and nearly all his poems are comparatively short lyrics. Their quality, however, both in content and techniques, invites the adjective ‘great’. Herbert was not troubled by doctrinal doubts, for he accepted whole-heartedly the tenets of Church of England; nor is there any mysticism in his poems. His own words, in his last  message to Nicholas Farrar, clearly describe their subject matter. “ A picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have past betwixt (God and my soul, before I could submit mine to the will of Jesus, my master, in whose service  I have now found perfect freedom. “ He writes of the problem of resignation and of his sense of his unworthiness; he explores and analyses as subtly as Donne his own emotional relationship with God, constantly striving towards the closer knowledge of God and of himself.

One aspect of Herbert’s poems, which is likely to strike the reader at once, is that many of them are direct colloquies with God, expressed in a conversational tone of remarkable intimacy, which ,however, is controlled with such tact that it never degenerates into sentimentality. The effect is completely natural because of Herbert’s ability to suggest the speaking voice. This he does with ease and range- from the courtly to the vigorously colloquial- that give his verse a dramatic quality which his fondness for dialogue makes particularly noticeable.

Herbert’s poetry expresses the combination of intellect and sensibility and the flexibility of attitude characteristic of metaphysical wit; but his use of imagery and conceit differs considerably from that of Donne. He does not draw his images from scientific or scholastic learning, as Donne often does, but from familiar everyday sources.

Despite his intellectual vigour and subtlety of Herbert’s poems, they are always graceful and usually lucid, Moreover, they are expressed in language of a purity which drew from Coleridge the comment; nothing can be more fine, manly and unaffected.

THOMAS CAREW

Like that of his greater successor, Marvell, Carew’s poetry combines the influences of Donne and Jonson and he was fully aware of his debt. His Elegie upon the death of the Deane of Paul’s , Dr. John Donne, is not only a fine poem but a remarkable demonstration of critical insight; and his poem to Ben Jonson records the awareness of the value of careful artistry which the Cavaliers learnt from him.

Carew has neither the intellectual range and profundity nor the intensity of passion of Donne, and he does not use Donne’s dramatically forceful, broken rhythms, Though he praises Donne in Elegie for doing away with the classical impediment, his own work is strewn with classical references.

Though Carew was a rake and a frivolous courtier, it must not be assumed that his work is superficial and merely charming.

RICHARD CRASHAW

The main body of  Crashw’s poetry appeared in steps to the Temple (1646), a collection of religious poems to which a section of secular poems. The Delight of Muses, was attached. The title Steps to the Temple recalls Herbert, but Crashaw was utterly unlike Herbert as a poet.

Crashaw is a uneven poet, lacking in discipline and critical sensibility. His feeling is expressed in verse of great work.

HENRY VAUGHAN

Vaughan’s earlier, secular verse is represented chiefly by To Amoret. His secular verse is much inferior to the religious poems of Silex Scintillans. It is extremely derivative, but what is more important is that the  poems seem to be written rather because Vaughan wanted to write poetry than because he has anything urgent to say. When he models himself on Donne, his use of experience.

The poems of Silex Scintillants show that a great development has taken place. The influence of George Herbert, which Vaughan acknowledged, is obvious enough in the abundant borrowings of theme, titles, metrical forms and phrases from the temple.

ANDREW MARVELL

Marvell was not a great originator such as Donne, or even technically inventive as Herbert was, though his handling of verse is masterly, Rather, his work reveals the successful assimilation and fusion of two great  poetic influence  of the early 17^th century. It combines the passionate , probing intellectuality of Donne with the clarity and poise of Jonson.

But Marvall is now admired for others characteristics as well; characteristics that T.S Eliot had in mind when he wrote that the special quality of Marvell’s verse is ‘ Quality of civilization’ of a traditional habit of  life.

              ABRAHM COWLEY

Cowley’s great reputation after the Restoration was due to the fact that though he wrote in the metaphysical manner so far as he used conceits, puns, argument and so on, his mind was radically different from Donne’s. He lacked intensity of  passion and depth of insight. His wit is a matter of ingenuity, and his images are usually decorative and fanciful rather than a means of exploring experience or resolving conflict. He lacks the fusion of thought and feeling which produces the characteristic metaphysical intensity, and the experiences he conveys are less complex.

It is in fact, the Augustan tendency in Cowley which made him so popular in his own time and well into the eighteen century. He wrote in the metaphysical manner and his work could be enjoyed as ‘fanciful’ or  ‘quaint’ but it made no demands on Augustan readers such as are made by the poetry of Donne.

SWIFT'S PROSE STYLE (GULLIVER TRAVEL) BY JONATHAN SWIFT

    SWIFT'S PROSE STYLE      

Swift is undoubtedly, the greatest prose writer of his age and one of the greatest writers of all times. Many critics like Williams Deans, Howells, Dr. Johnson, Coleridge and T.S Eliot called Jonathan Swift the greatest writer of the prose. T.S Eliot goes so that as to call, Swift the greatest writer of English prose, and the greatest man who has ever written great English prose. Evidently there are some reasons for his greatness

  

One of the causes of the popularity of “Gulliver Travel” is the simple and direct narrative style of the book. The plain description gives us the impression that the author is describing which he has himself seen or experienced. Here, for example is his description of , How Gulliver was served good in Lilliput.

        “ I had three hundred cooks to dress my victuals .Dr Jonathan Style was pompous and bombastic, was the first to appreciate the simplicity of Swift’s style. He said, “The reader of Swift needs no previous knowledge.” Coleridge, whose own prose was marked by metaphysical subtlety, also paid a tribute to simplicity of Swift style. He said, “ Swift style is in its line: the manner is a complete expression of the matter."

  

When Swift started writing he did not adopt the prose style of his predecessors. Swift style is lucid and terse. He seems to have no difficulty in finding words to express exactly the impression which he wishes to convey. His sentences come home to the reader, like  the words of great orator or advocate with convincing force. He realizes so clearly what he is describing that the reader is , of necessity and impressed.

Swift defined style as “ proper words in proper places.” This definition fits his own writing perfectly well. Swift’s prose is an example of the right words in the right place. His words are selected that they convey exactly the impression he wishes to create. He  selects the most appropriate words to express his thoughts. The words suit the subject perfectly. Sometimes he even ignores the rules of grammar in order to express himself in a way which will create the correct impression. There is a little ornament: there is none of divine simplicity of Bunyan : there is none of the majesty of Milton, but there is workman-tike adaptation of means to end. Referring to his style, Dr. Jonathan has said; His style was well suited to his thoughts, which are never decorated by sparkling conceits, elevated by ambitious sentences or variegated by far-sought learning.”

According to Matthew Arnold, the qualities of good prose are are ‘unfairly’, regularity, precision and balance.” These are exactly the qualities of Swift’s prose. He always says clearly and precisely what he means. As an example, we can see the description of a minister of state given by Gulliver to his Honyhnhnm master.

                        “ I told him that a first or chief minister of state who was the person I intended to describe, was a creature wholly exempt from over joy and grief, love and hatred, pity and anger; at least make use of no other passions but a violent desire of wealth, power and titles; that he applies his words to all uses, except to the indication of his mind; that he never tells a truth, but with an intent that you should take it for a lie, nor a lie, but with a design that you should take if for a truth."

  These sentences are pointed and direct and the plain statement of the minister’s character only heightens the conformity of the hypocrisy and villainy. His style suits the matter precisely.

  As  a story teller Swift is unsuppressed for his approach to the art of fiction he combines the richness of adult intelligence with the clarity and directness of a child’s mind. As a result, his Gulliver’s Travel has a two-folded appeal. For a child, it is simple narrative of the travels of Gulliver to some strange lands, and his interesting experiences there. For the intellectuals it is a satire on the follies of his age as well as of human beings in general. His style enables him to tell a story clearly with exactly the right amount of detail and to describe equally clearly such complicated processes as the capture of the Blesfuscu fleet, or the schemes of projectors. The book is written with such consummate ease that we are apt to overlook the skill with with which Swift achieves this object.

It is often said that Swift’s prose style lacks imagination and passion. A French critic says: “ Swift style lacks eloquence of ideas and sentiments. Eloquence in his sense is mind’s highest reach and widest conquest. It is the creative energy of life itself, manifested on those frontiers which we call variously religion, philosophy and poetry.” But these views lack vitality and are deficient in truth.

The age of Swift is called “ The Age of Prose and Reason”. Swift came under the influence of his age—an age when imagination and emotions were subordinated to reason and wit. People believed in the supremacy of reason ; and their thoughts were determined by reason. Hence, Swift describes both imagination and emotions. He tries to convince his readers. He appeals to their minds not to their heats. Moreover, he offers a “ criticism of life” ; and criticism has no link, Whatsoever, with imagination and emotions. There are no imaginative flights, nor soaring into the infinite, no raptures of idealism, no fine frenzies of passion; there is just charity.

Bertrand Russell unpopular essays (Future of Mankind),,,Russell as a Great pacifist,Optimist and Humanist

Russell surely disproves the common established notion about philosopher, that, they are absent-minded and always busy their heads in making speculation, when he meditates on the possibilities regarding “The Future of Mankind”. He has done so, because of his high sensitivity and deep concern towards human beings. He was called as a traitor to his country because of his anti-war stand during the first World war. But his only concern was towards humanity. Later he was awarded a Noble Prized for his contribution towards peace. In the Words of Erich From”

“Bertrand Russell fights against the threatening slaughter ,because he is a man who loves life.”

Russell discuses three possibilities about “ The Future of Mankind.” According too him, one is the complete extinction of human life on earth ,the second is that human life will be reduced to barbarism and the final is that there will be a world Government that will control all nations and countries. Among these the first possibility which he describes, is the complete extinction of all human beings. This might happen after the Second World War in which the atomic weapons will be used. Russell deals it logically, for he says, if still there will be some life after the end of that war, there would soon be another war, for there would such ’diehards’ in the super powers, who would prefer the extermination of life, than surrendering to the victory of the power. And if any man would miraculously be able to escape from the death, he may consider himself to be the emperor of the whole world, but his reign would not be long and his subjects would be only dead bodies and Russell says:

“With the death the uneasy episode of life will end, and the peaceful rocks will revolve unchanged, until the sun explodes.”

The Second possibility ,which Russell discusses, is the reversal of civilization to its primitive conditions. Russell suggests if the Second World war fails to eliminate all sign of life, still that destruction would take world to the age of “barbarism”. For in the war, the major cities and industrial areas would be destroyed and the bacteriological warfare would destroy crops and cause famine, Russell says there may be few libraries and laboratories and scientists. But the people ,might kill the remaining few scientists, in hope of some “Golden age”.

“Extreme hopes are born of extreme misery and in such a world hopes could only be irrational.”

The third possibility, according to Russell, is the establishment of universal Government all over the world. He discusses the idea in more than one ways in which it could occur. The one is the victory of America, in the second world war. Other is the victory of Russia, or the world government, would emerge as a result of mutual agreement. The best among these ways is the idea of mutual agreement.

Russell view of the World Government has been criticized greatly. People have raised arguments considering it as a “Utopian Ideal”. Most of the people think that such an  alliance cannot be brought peacefully, for no nation would surrender her liberty. Russell also admits that the chances of world government in  a formal ways are extremely remote. 

          He thinks that World Government, would not be formed voluntarily, but it would have to be brought about by force.Some object that there is no need of a world Government, because the wars are a part of human history and civilization but still humanity has survived from them. Wars create heroism and are necessity of life, without which human beings would feel frustrated. To refute this argument, Russell has given his logical reasoning, that the present condition of cold war would certainly lead to a dread atomic war and eventually it would bring a complete devastation. And now modern wars are very different from the wars in the past. Russell says;

            “There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge and wisdom shall we instead choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels ?

Then he visualizes the “new World” after the emergence of either of the two super powers i.e Russia and America, as a victor of  the war. Russell perceives a secure peace prevailing in the long run. Though there would be occasional murders and minor revolts but in such a state, any large scale rebellion would be out of question.

Russell prefers America to control the world government and he has given many reasons for his preference to America but his preference has no political or ideological basis, but it totally depends on the probable condition of people under these states. The major reason to prefer America is that, she respects the values of civilized life like freedom of thought, freedom of inquiry and humaneness. But on the other hand, in communistic countries like Russia, there is not liberty for individuals and government has a strict hold on the common masses. The Russell says:

“ Its only aim is to promote the mindless repetition of party slogans and to have the ability of shifting sides rapidly, so as to be always on the side of received opinions.”

Moreover there is considerably less orthodoxy in America than in Russia. There scientist, authors and philosophers can choose any subject regardless of state interest. While in Russia such things are also influenced by official views.

Russell suggests yet another way to prevent a horrible war. In his opinion, America would make an alliance with the British common wealth nations and with other European nations who want to join them. All the military power, of these countries, and weapons should be united and then they should declare war on the nation. In this way Russia might also be agreed to join the alliance just by the threat of war. But still he does not leave the possibility of Russian refusal.

In such an alliance, there should also be a legal check on the power of the leader, by other nations, so there would not be a “chance of corruption”, which is sure to accompany Tower”. In other cases, it would be such a combination of states.

“ where force is not a prerogative of private individuals or nation, but is exercised only by a neutral authority in accordance with rules laid down in advance.”

Among the Many advantages of single world government is that the defense expenditures of every nation would diminish and by this way human beings would be more happy than before.

But a little earlier than this, Russell’s suggestions did not seem to be implemented to the world. For China has emerged as a world power with nuclear weapons and it would certainly not like America as the only dominant nation to control both, East and West.

But now, after, nine-eleven, once again Russell’s idea of the world government seems to be possible, for, America and Britain has started to dominate the poor nations of the world, only in order to establish their hold on the world.

However, Russell’s chief concern in all this discussion was his good will and sincere concern towards peace and survival of mankind. We can surely conclude that he was a true optimist, pacifist and humanist.

Suicide -- Why People Committ Suicide ????

Throughout the history,from the Elite class to the ordinary man,people have committed suicide to release themselves from wordy ordeals and to attain eternal peace

       
 For centuries, the Japanese class Samuria followed the harakiri or happy dispatch, the suicidal act of honour, The government graciously permitted criminals of the Samuria class to destroy themselves instead of being handed over to the common executioner. Time and place were officially notified to the condemned, and officially were sent to witness the ceremony. The person committed suicide by cutting his stomach and dying violently. The act regarded as courageous and glorified by tradition has been publicly glorified by tradition has been publicly performed by some famous individuals.
 In China ,when the peasants rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, the government failed to crush the rebels who besieged the Forbidden city, the Capital.When the Ming Emperor lost all hope to save himself  to protect the honor of his dynasty.During the Nazi period, there was conspiracy against Hitler. He suspected General Rommel, known as Desert Fox, of being involved in it. He sent Rommel a message advising him to kill himself, in which case , the funeral would be honored by the state. Otherwise, he would be tried as a conspirator and face execution. Realizing that in both cases death was inevitable, Rommel preferred suicide. Again, ironically, Hitler and his wife Ava Brow too committed suicide when the Russian forces were invading Berlin. His ministers Goebbels also committed suicide along with his family.

     There are other examples, when people or parties collectively committed suicide. In two instances the Jews decided to commit suicide collectively in case of Masada which was besieged by the Romans and in the Rhineland when they were threatened by the Crusaders. In the united states some religious cults also collectively committed suicide fearing the end of the world.

    For centuries, the Japanese class Samuria followed the harakiri or happy dispatch, the suicidal act of honour, The government graciously permitted criminals of the Samuria class to destroy themselves instead of being handed over to the common executioner. Time and place were officially notified to the condemned, and officially were sent to witness the ceremony. The person committed suicide by cutting his stomach and dying violently. The act regarded as courageous and glorified by tradition has been publicly glorified by tradition has been publicly performed by some famous individuals.

      The Japanese also used suicide bomber (Kamikaze) during World War II to destroy warships of the Allies. The practice was followed by the Tamil tigers in Sri Lanka in their struggle for a separate homeland. The Palestinians used suicide bombers against Israel for the liberation of their homeland. The Taliban are also using suicide bombers for a religious cause. However, suicide bombers could not accomplish their objectives except to create fear, anarchy, chaos and disorder.

Some famous personalities like Hemingway the novelist; Marlin Monroe, the actress; and Fassbinder, the German filmmaker also committed suicide. Sadly, some individuals or groups, after losing all hope decided to die as a solution to their problems. The question is that who is responsible  for this state of despair, the society or the individuals .???

THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE..THOMAS HARDY [SUMMARY]

Book-Wise Summary

BOOK-I:     THE ARRIVAL

      Late on  a Saturday evening in November, Diggory Venn, a traveling salesman of reddle for marking sheep, was driving his cart over the hills and hollows of that somber, impenetrable tract of land in southern England known as England known as Egdon Health. In his cart slept a young girl, Thomasin Yeohright, to whom two years previously he had made a proposal of marriage. And now he was passing a group of merrymakers getting ready to celebrate a marriage which they mistakenly thought had already taken place between Thomasin and Daenon Wildeve.

     In truth, Darnon Wildeve was an unhappy victim of his own indecision. The mistake he had made about the license had given him an opportunity to reconsider his relations with another woman far different from his simple, sweet near - bride. This woman, Eustacia Vye, dark, full-limbed, and passionate, was sustained by a longing for the full poor substitute. They had one thinking in common __ an intense dislike of the heath. Eustacia was the orphaned grand daughter of a retired sea captain. Wildeve, once an engineer, had now declined to the state of real innkeeper. 

    Mrs. Yeobright, Thomasin's aunt, in the meantime had gone to see Venn. When she discovered that he was still in love with Thomasin, she had another interview with Wildeve and got him to promise not to stand in the way of Thomasins's marrying another man. And Wildeve at his next rendezvous with Eustacia on the heath told her that now they might think of going away together. Yet she disdained a prize so easily won; her ears had already quickened to the news that Clym Yeobright, after several years in Paris, was returning to the heath.

BOOK-II:     THE ARRIVAL

     Meeting Clym was not easy. Thought she walked the dhath in the neighborhood of the Yeobright, her hopes for a casual encounter were defeated. So she bribed one of the boys who was taking part in the treaditonal play of St. George at the Yeobright, to let her take his part.

   Clym singled her out" thought she refused to remove her mask , she knew that she had at last aroused his curiosity. Her next step was to terminate her reationship; with Wildeve. A curt note of dismissal to Wildeve was borne by Diggory Ven, who was selfless enough to value Thomasin's happiness above his own; and with Eustacia out of the way, it was an easy matter for him to convince Wildeve hat he should go through with his marriage to Thomasin.

BOOK-III:     THE FASCINATION

       Clym was fascinated by Eustacia, and in frequent meeting on the heath love ripened between them. To his mother's profound disappointment, the strongly intellectual turn of Clvem's mind had led him to give up forever a promising post in a diamond house in Paris. His new purpose in life-to establish a school which would embody the new ideas which had brought him to a tuning point in his life- seemed to his mother a sad step backward. And when she learned that he  was in love with Eustacia Vye, the rift between them widened. She made no attempt ot conceal her dislike of Eustaaica. "Clym, " she said , "if she makes you a good wife, there has never been a bad one. In his eagerness to complete his studies, Clym strained his eyesight so severely that he was forced to stop reading; and in order to avoid living solely on the small savings, he began to work as a furze-cutter on the heath.

BOOK-IV:     THE CLOSED DOOR

        A chance meeting with Eustacia at a village festival revived in Wildeve the old attraction. One day he came to Clym and Eustacia's cottage.Clym was asleep,but Eustacia admitted Wildeve. A knock at the door was heard,Eustacia looked out and saw that Mr.s Yeobright had come to pay a call. She decided to show Wildeve out the back away because she thought that Clym was walking up. When she came back,she found Clym asleep and no sign of Mrs.Yeobright.Later in the afternoon Clym decided to walk to his mother's house.Halfway across the heath,he stumbled over his mother, lying prostrate and fatally sick beside the path.

BOOK-V :    THE DISCOVERY

    Other people arrived soon, among them Eustacia and Wildeve together. When Eustacia saw that Mrs. Yeobright was dead, she turned to Wildeve and said, "I am to blame for this. There is evil in store for me,"Eustacia withheld her knowledge of the events of that fateful day; and when Clym,racked by grief, a sense of guilt, and illness,stumbled upon the truth,he released a torrential fury on his wife.Eustacia admitted her guilt and left her husband.Her only hope now was to get away from the heath entirely.She knew that Wildeve was willing to run away with her.In the meantime Clym wrote a letter to Eustacia offering a reconciliation; it was delivered on November night as she was preparing for her journey. However, she did not see the letter on the mantel, so quickly had she fled from her grandfather's house. At the spot on the heath where was to meet Wildeve,she realized that she had no money and also she did want to break her marriage vow by turning to a weakling like Wildeve.Not long afterward Clym,met Wildeve searching the heath for Eustacia.When they saw a dark form swirling in the weir,Wildeve jumped in.Clym tried to save them ,but only through the assistance of Diggory Venn was he himself saved from drowning.

BOOK-VI:     AFTER-COURSES

Many months later, Thomasin decided to marry Diggory, and Clym finally found a vocation in preaching to villagers on the heath

ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY

A glimpse of the works of art reveals that they are the result of man's unceasing toil, patience and perseverance. The Taj Mahal, a poem in marble, took several years to be built to perfection. Man did not become civilized overnight. He had to work hard and struggle a lot to overcome the obstacles in his path. There is no shortcut to success in life. Patience and hard work are necessary requisites for achieving one's goal in life. 

     A man, who gets dejected at the first sign of failure and gives up his pursuit of the goal out of desperation, can never come to much in life. Before embarking on any venture, one should remember that setbacks are a part of the development process. But self confidence, endurance and will power can see one through these initial failures. After all, successful men didn't reach the top of the ladder in one day. They too had to struggle and overcome the difficulties in their path boldly and patiently. Everything takes time to be built. Patience, therefore is the hallmark of successful men and women.

THE PAST WILL ALWAYS SEEM GLORIOUS BY MERELY BEING PAST

All of us love to take a trip down the memory lane.' Our elders, never tire of repeating the stories of the 'good old day's. Even those who have lived a wretched life in the past, and who are, decidedly, living a far better life at present, will revel in the nostalgia of the olden days. The reason why the past always seems to be better than the present is that we tend to remember only the good aspects of the past life and ignore the painful part of it. Even the memories of unpleasant experiences in the past are pleasant because the painful part of those experiences is gone and only the memories remain.

                             Time is supposed to be the greatest healer of pain. It heals and dulls the pain and sorrow of the past. Thus,when we recall the past life, our memories get filtered and the glimpses of only the glorious moments come to our mind. Life is always a mixture of joys and sorrows, happiness and hardships. 

                              Even the bad moments of the past appear to be good, when we see them through present perspective. Hence the saying 'the past will always be glorious because it is the past. 

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Laughter is an expression of joy and happiness. Man alone among countless creatures of God has the capacity to laugh. It is a great blessing and plays a vital role in human life and relations. Life indeed would be very dreary without humour and laughter. The ability to laugh relieves man of every day stresses and enables him to see the brighter side of life. 

                A man with a sense of humour is welcomed at every gathering and provides relief from the dull conversation with his sparkling wit and funny jokes. He becomes the soul of the party. Humour helps one to keep one's temper under control and not flare up at the slightest provocation. So humour has a great practical value. It helps to maintain mental equilibrium and gain friends, two things essential for happiness. 

          A man devoid of a sense of humour always remains tense and unhappy. He is unable to see the lighter side of life. He becomes a cynic whose company is shunned by everybody. On the contrary, a man with a sense of humour will feel amused even when faced with situations which upset the moody and solemn people who are too serious to laugh at themselves or at small inconsistencies of life.

POLITICS IS THE ART OF COMPROMISE

A successful politician is the one who has mastered the art of making compromises and adjustments. He is quick to sense the mood of the masses and acts in accordance with it. Politics, like any other game, has to be played by keeping an eye on the weaknesses and strengths of the opposition. However, the rules and regulations and ethical code of assess the situation and then take action. 

        One cannot afford to be idealistic, unyielding and unbending. One must be adaptable and realistic in order to survive in politics and learn to turn the tide in one's favour. A politician cannot isolate himself from the masses by stubbornly sticking to his ideals. He has to continually surrender his personality and individuality. The sooner he learns that compromise is the need of the hour, the better are his chances of success. 

            Thus, success is sure to simile on a politician who has learnt to swim with the tide. However, politics should not be devoid of ethics otherwise it will become a cruel game. True, a politician has to make certain compromises, unwillingly though. The most important thing in this regard is that there should never be a compromise on principles. 

      A good politician believes in give and take without violating his principles. An unprincipled politician soon loses respect in the eyes of the people. If a politician makes compromises on principles, he is anything but a politician.

HEAVEN FROM ALL CREATURES HIDES THE BOOK OF FATE; ALL BUT THE PAGE PRESCRIBED, THEIR PRESENT STATE

These two lines contain an important idea. No living being knows anything about the future. Men and animals _ they are aware only of their present. What is to come nobody knows. We may make guesses or we may speculate about the future. We may make forecasts and prophecies. But we do not know what exactly is in store for us. All guesses and all forecasts about the future may prove to be incorrect. Quite the reverse of what we have predicted may happen. 

        The future is thus a closed book for human being.s Providence in His unlimited wisdom has so ordained things that all creatures are blissfully ignorant of the future course of their lives. A man does not know what is to happen to him a year later, or a month later, or tomorrow, or even the next moment. A man leave his house in the morning for his office and may not return home alive. He may meet with an accident and be killed. He may succumb to a terrorist attack. But when he left home, he was full of hope. What is happening in the present is all that a man knows. 

     The ignorance of future circumstances is a great advantage. We should, indeed, consider our ignorance of the future to be a glorious uncertainty. If one were to know all that is to happen in the future, one's life would become miserable. After all, life is a mixture of good and bad incidents. If a man were to know even one bad incident like a serious illness or a financial loss or dismissal from service, which is to occur in future, he would lose his sleep on account of worry, anxiety and fear.

A SLAVE IS HE WHO CANNOT SPEAK HIS THOUGHTS

      

Slavery in olden times consisted in the sale and purchase of human beings who were forced to toil and labour in the service of their masters. Saves had absolutely no right and were treated as portable commodities. That kind of slavery does not exist any longer, thanks to the advance of human civilization. But now another kind of slavery has come into existence, and that is the denial of the right of self-expression.Under a democratic system of government, citizens enjoy the freedom of speech and are , therefore, their own masters. 
       But under a dictatorial or totalitarian regime, this freedom of speech does not exist. Hitler in Nazi Germany and Mussolini in fascist Itlay ruled with an iron hand and did not allow their people to speak their minds. We, too, have an experience of dictators in our country.Whatever the professed benefits of autocratic rules, these benefits are nullified by one restriction, people being forbidden to express their real thoughts and feelings. Self-expression is the prime need of human nature. 

       When people of a country are not allowed to express themselves, human personality feels curbed, confined and constricted. This denial of self-expression reduces people to a position of slavery. When this state of affairs continues for a long time, mental growth of people is retarded any they become less than human beings. They become dumb driven cattle, having no volition of their own. They cease to be a nation, They are a crowd of people controlled from outside, They become unable to develop  their talents and to play their role as active, dynamic human beings. 
      No man can grow to his fullest stature without the freedom of speech and expression, represents a state of civilization much worse than the barbaric societies of ancient time. Hence, the real slaves are those who are not allowed to express themselves.

SOME BOOKS ARE TO BE TASTED ,OTHERS TO BE SWALLOWED AND SOME FEW TO BE CHEWED AND DIGESTED

Francis Bacon's famous classification of books into three categories is, indeed, true and convincing. All books do not deserve the same attention from readers.Some books deserve only to be tasted,that is, to be read in parts and then to be dismissed. These books enjoy a temporary vogue and are then forgotten.Travel books,books of true or imaginary adventures, accounts of voyages and exploration, political commentaries, books describing past social customs and the like belong to this category. Life is short,art is long.

        We cannot, therefore,devote much time to such books.We can only taste these books.Then there are books which are to be swallowed, that is , to be read carefully for the sake of entertainment and diversion. These books also add to our knowledge and enhance our understanding of life.To this category belong novels, short stories, anthologies of poems and ballads, biographies, autobiographies etc.These books are not just to be read through without much thought or reflection.Nor do they leave any permanent mark or impression upon the mind. 

               Finally, there are the masterpieces of the world, great books written by great minds. These books deserve a close study.Every sentence in them deserve attention.They are to be studied with full concentration of one's mental powers. They contain the wisdom and experience of great thinkers,philosophers,Goethe's Faust, The work of Tolstoy Dante's Divine Comedy, Shakespeare's tragic plays, the Ghazals of Ghalib, the poem of Iqbal, The Quran and the Bible, the French Revolution by Carlyle, Paradise Lost by Milton, The importance of Living by Lin Yutang, and the essays of Francis Bacon are among works of this kind.The readers feels a spontaneous desire to mediate upon what he reads in these books, to allow the ideas of these Writers to sink into his consciousness so that they may become part of his mental equipment.

Some are Born Great, Some Acquire Greatness And Some Have Greatness Thrust upon Them

Shakespeare has rightly divided men into three great categories. Some people are known to the world because of their high or noble blood. They are great by virtue of their heredity. The accident of birth in a family of high status or of established repute is the cause of their greatness. They do not have to make any effort to make name for themselves or to achieve prominence in life. A heredity monarch like the King or Queen of England is, for instance, born great. 

        The present queen (Elizabeth II) of England does not possess any extraordinary gifts, but she is great by birth. Then there are those who achieve greatness by their own struggle glorious deeds,dedication to  a noble cause,supreme self-sacrifice and the like. They are the ones who truly deserve to be called great. Their greatness is the result of their heroic performance and their towering achievements. They immortalize themselves by conferring some great benefits on mankind. To this category belong people like Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, and the Quaid-e-Azam. Such persons are the founders of great movements or the champions of noble causes. 

          Finally, there are persons who are great neither by birth nor by circumstances. It sometimes happens, for instance, that the power of two groups in a political party is equally balanced. In such a situation the only acceptable leader for both groups is a man who is by no means a very eminent or distinguished person. This person finds himself great because of certain unusual conditions that prevail. To this category belong all those persons who are born to exceptionally rich parents. They simply inherit fame and name without having done anything great or creditable. They are the people on whom greatness is thrust.

Lend Your Eears To All, Tongue to Few

A wise man is a good listener, but a cautious speaker. He listens to everyone with patience but uses his own judgment. In the present world, with so many wolves in sheep's clothing , It is good to be discreet in one's choice of words. A person who talks unnecessary is bound to invite trouble for himself. However, people who are patient listener are more sensible as they can have a full peep into other's hearts without revealing their own mind. Sometimes people befriend you with ulterior motives and take ill advantage of confidence you repose in them. We daily come across newspaper reports of people who tricked some gullible persons. 

        The modus operandi is first to win to the confidence of unsuspecting victims with clever talk and counterfeit actions and then they cheat them. Therefore, we must not be taken in by sycophants whose sole purpose is to exploit us. we should confide in those who have stood the test of time and are worthy of our confidence. By listening to others, we come to know of certain facts which may be useful for us. Everybody has at least one or two things to teach you. Therefore listening can be more advantageous. Hence talking injudiciously to to every who happens to be your acquaintance, can prove very dangerous in the long run. Listening should always be preferred to talking as even nature has given us two ears and one tongue that too guarded by thirty two strong teeth.

Role of Education

It is unanimous opinion that Education Plays an important role in the development of the Character of the pupils. This Curriculum should be so designed that it should not only give the students knowledge but also inculate in them right attitudes, ideals and habits.

        It is not very easy to develop correct attitudes in the students because there are several factors which lead to their formation. We can't expect the pupils to develop socially acceptable behaviour merely by giving them advice. 

       We have to motivate them. Here education and the method of teaching adopted by the teachers can play a crucial role in arousing the pupil's interest in right ideals and pursuits. School should spare no pain in important proper training to the pupil in developing good conduct.

Earn As You Learn

Earn As You Learn

The Practice of Earning while learning is becoming more common Today. In the Joint family system under the wide umbrella of a large family , a couple of members could take more than usual time to complete their education and get settled in life. But in smaller families there is pressure on each child to be on his own as soon as possible; Thus the vogue of earn while you learn has become quite popular Today. The ambitions of our fast expanding middle class to acquire and enjoy as many luxuries of life as possible also demand that each member of a family should start earning as possible. 

The mertorious and ambitious young men and women from the lower classes find that they can get their better jobs, thus breaking the shackles of the lower class and becoming members of the middle class. The people who spend their time in both the activities i.e earning and learning at the same time are generally more disciplined in life. 

A student who spends his parent;s had earned money on his education may or may not be very serious in the pursuit of his studies, But he who is spending his own earnings on his education can't be careless even for a moment. Such students always bring glory to their alma meter and even to the society at large. In the fast developing industrialized society of today, the training one receives at college (Engineering or Medical) is hardly sufficient. 

So to update one's knowledge and skill, a doctor, an engineer and even a corporate manager has to undergo on job training programmes. Thus earn as you learn or learn as you earn has almost become necessity of modern day life.

Civil Engineering

  Civil Engineering:

Auxiliary building is really an awesome master building educate the game plans through the diagram, advancement, ALONG WITH help of a physical IN ADDITION TO really detailed environment, like works including boulevards, expansions, conduits, dams, ALONG WITH buildings.Civil building is really the master planning prepare your game plans with the setup, improvement, IN ADDITION TO upkeep of a physical ALONG WITH regularly gathered environment, as performs simply like avenues, frameworks, channels, dams, AS WELL AS buildings.Civil outlining will be the second-most acknowledged outlining request taking after military engineering,and It is described to recognize non-military planning originating from military  ton of sub-trains simply like compositional outlining, normal planning, geotechnical building, control building, simple building, seismic tremor building, transportation building, legitimate outlining, common ALONG WITH urban building, water resources outlining, materials building, wastewater outlining, toward the ocean outlining, polish building, assortment concentrating on, shoreline front engineering,construction exploring, AND improvement building. Basic building happens through anybody through general area amid affable to national governments, AND because of the top mystery place all through individual property holders inside worldwide companies.Mechanical planning finds This can be application structure in light of the narratives important to extra outdated AND ALSO medieval societal exchanges a considerable measure of over the span of mankind. through old Greece, your own is compelling in regards to Archimedes (287–212 BC) significantly affected mechanics to its Western custom AS WELL AS Heron with respect to Alexandria (c. 10–70 AD) created ones foremost steam engine (Aeolipile).In China, Zhang Heng (78–139 AD) improved ones water clock AND planned your ebb and flow seismometer, IN ADDITION TO Ma Jun (200–265 AD) envisioned an incredible chariot over the span of differential riggings. the medieval Chinese horologist AS WELL AS fashioner Su Song (1020–1101 AD) joined your own particular escapement instrument in his infinite clock tower two centuries before any escapement is found while in timekeepers identifying with medieval Europe, and the world's essential known unending The strain transmitting chain drive.Engineering is normally the group connected with life considering that the beginnings identified with human vicinity. your current soonest routine as to basic building can have started some place of around 4000 AND 2000 BC with Ancient Egypt, ones Indus Valley Civilization, AS WELL AS Mesopotamia (Ancient Iraq) despite the fact that anybody started so as to leave an extraordinary transient vicinity, delivering an awesome prerequisite because of the improvement identified with secured house. In the midst of the time, transportation ended up becoming dynamically crucial provoking your present progression of a wrangle required time span times there \'m character sensible refinement between auxiliary working AS WELL AS development demonstrating, furthermore the term fashioner AND ALSO designer were principally arrive assortments insinuating for its same occupation, AND frequently used proportionally. the advancement concerning pyramids while in Egypt (around 2700–2500 BC) were your division of a primary events in regards to far reaching structure improvements. included old vital auxiliary outlining advancements join your flow Qanat water organization system (the all prepared is really extra authority when contrasted with 3000 decades IN ADDITION With more prominent than 71 km, your own Parthenon over the span of Iktinos inside Ancient Greece (447–438 BC), your own Appian Way throughout Roman engineers (c. 312 BC), you're astounding Wall identifying with China amid General Meng T'ien under solicitations through Ch'in Emperor Shih Huang Ti (c. 220 BC) furthermore the stupas created while in old Sri Lanka like Jetavanaramaya and the expansive watering framework works over the span of Anuradhapura. your Romans delivered basic structures a few amid It\'s space, as especially water channels, insulae, harbors, ranges, dams.In 1818 your momentum firm identifying with Civil Engineers are generally taken over the span of London, IN ADDITION TO all through 1820 your own particular unmistakable designer Thomas Telford turned inside your flow first president. your own particular establishment figured out how to get your Royal Charter over the span of 1828, formally seeing basic working as a calling. This has contract portrayed auxiliary working as: 

the art identifying with planning the significant wellsprings as to The heap through nature for its usage AS WELL AS convenience in regards to man, similar to your framework in regards to era ALONG WITH in regards to development while in states, both in regards to external AND internal trade, as associated as a result of its advancement in regards to boulevards, platforms, water sections, conduits, stream course AND docks worried amid intercourse AS WELL AS exchange, AND ALSO to its improvement as to ports, harbors, moles, ocean dividers ALONG WITH reference points, AND ALSO by the claim to fame concerning course amid figured Weight for the reasons identified with business, AS WELL AS to its improvement AND UTILIZE important to equipment, AND ALSO for its drainage identified with urban groups IN ADDITION TO towns. ones chief degree through auxiliary working in the nation are for the most part rewarded amid Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute while in 1835. your present first these sort of degree to have t

Mechinical Engineering

Mechinical Engineering:

Mechanical building will be the control ones applies your present measures concerning building, material science, ALONG WITH materials science because of the diagram, examination, gathering, AS WELL AS upkeep identified with mechanical systems. This truly is your own branch concerning building your present comprises of your setup, era, IN ADDITION TO operation with respect to machinery.Mechanical building would be the control ones applies ones benchmarks in regards to building, physical science, IN ADDITION TO materials science for the blueprint, examination, amassing, AND help in regards to mechanical structures. That is your own branch identified with building the comprises of your blueprint, era, AS WELL AS operation identified with machinery.The outlining box requires the understanding identified with focus thoughts, for example, mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science, assistant examination, ALONG WITH force. Mechanical engineers EMPLOY these sorts of focus measures nearby arrangements, for example, PC presented setup, IN ADDITION TO merchandise lifecycle organization to plot AND ALSO break lower collecting plants, current equipment IN ADDITION TO contraption, warming AS WELL AS cooling systems, transport structures, flying machine, watercraft, apply self-governance, restorative devices, weapons, ALONG WITH others.Mechanical outlining rose to be a case in the midst of ones mechanical distress through Europe by the eighteenth century; dependably be your like your might, It has progression will be taken after back various mil quite a long while Around the globe. Mechanical planning science ascended for its nineteenth century expected for delayed consequence with respect to headways on the bundle including material science. your own particular holder offers always progressed to have the capacity to combine degrees of progress inside advancement, AND mechanical experts right now are by and large looking for quickly after changes all through these sorts of fields simply like composites, mechatronics, IN ADDITION TO nanotechnology. Mechanical outlining covers through cutting edge plane configuration, metallurgical building, basic planning, electrical building, getting outlining, manufactured outlining, present day working, IN ADDITION TO building dealings for you to evolving aggregates. Mechanical planners might then additionally perform to its bundle as to biomedical outlining, especially while in biomechanics, transport ponders, biomechatronics, bionanotechnology, IN ADDITION TO exhibiting identifying with common systems.Mechanical building finds your present application structure through the narratives identifying with additional old ALONG WITH medieval societal exchanges a few throughout mankind. through outdated Greece, your works identified with Archimedes (287–212 BC) significantly influenced mechanics for its Western tradition IN ADDITION TO Heron identified with Alexandria (c. 10–70 AD) planned your principle steam engine (Aeolipile).[3] all through China, Zhang Heng (78–139 AD) upgraded the water clock AND figured the seismometer, AND ALSO Ma Jun (200–265 AD) envisioned the chariot all through differential riggings. your current medieval Chinese horologist AS WELL AS originator Su Song (1020–1101 AD) united your escapement program while in his grandiose clock tower two centuries beforehand any escapement will be found while in tickers identified with medieval Europe, AS WELL AS your reality's first known unending The heap transmitting chain drive.During the decades amid seventh for you to fifteenth century, the period called your Islamic Golden Age, there were striking responsibilities through Muslim pioneers from the holder concerning mechanical advancement. Al-Jazari, the genuine i'm single identifying with them, composed his observed Book as to Knowledge in regards to Ingenious Mechanical stock over the span of 1206, IN ADDITION TO created various mechanical diagrams. He can be furthermore thought to wind up being your present pioneer as to a large portion of these mechanical contraptions which as of right now outline your current to a great degree required in regards to frameworks, identifying with case, your crankshaft AND ALSO camshaft.Important jumps forward to its foundations concerning mechanical planning happened while in England in the midst of the seventeenth century Whenever Sir Isaac Newton both characterized your present three Newton's Laws as to Motion AS WELL AS delivered Calculus, the investigative reason concerning material science. Newton as a rule are reluctant to have the capacity to convey his schedules AND ALSO laws as to an incredible significant length with respect to time, in any case he \'m all through last impacted to have the capacity to do like these sorts of over the span of his partners, concerning case, Sir Edmund Halley, much to its entertain identifying with all mankind. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz might likewise be credited over the span of producing Calculus in the midst of ones same time allotment period. 

In the midst of your mid nineteenth century over the span of England, Germany ALONG WITH Scotland, the change concerning machine contraptions drove mechanical outlining to distribute just like an other box with building, giving gathering things and in addition the engines to power them. ones vital British capable society concerning mechanical planners \'m encircled over the span of 1847 firm in regards to Mechanical Engineers, thirty quite a while not long after your auxiliary modelers molded ones first these sorts of master society business connected with Civil Engineers. because of the European landmass, Johann von Zimmermann (1820–1901) taken the foremost preparing plant concer