Assignment
topic: Culture and Anarchy by Mathew Arnold
Name:
Ravi Rajyaguru
Roll no.:28
M.A. Semester: 2
Enrolment No.: PG15101032
Year: 2015- 17
Paper no.:6 (The Victorian Literature)
Submitted to: Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Ø Introduction
Matthew
Arnold is a well-known poet and critic of Victorian age. Arnold outlined the
function of the cultural critic in his essay “Culture and Anarchy”. Arnold is a
popular as a systematic critic and cultural critic. Culture and Anarchy
appeared in 1869 and it was the most characteristic work of his practical
period. Arnold was the first critic who
gave the definition of culture. He was the father of modern criticism. His fame
as cultural critic always same as it was.Arnold’s views published in his essay
‘Culture and Anarchy’ about,
·
Culture
·
Anarchy
·
Three classes of society
·
Hebraism
·
Hellenism
This
are become necessary and important in establishing cultural studies. As an important
and pioneer work for cultural studies.
Ø Concept of Culture
according to Matthew Arnold
§ What is Culture?
·
A culture is a way of
life of a group of people.
·
Culture refers to the
cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes,
meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations,
concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a
group of people in the course of generations through individual and group
striving.
v Arnold’s Views on
Culture
“Arnold
sees culture as a study of perfection.”
He
says:
“To
conceive of true human perfection as a harmonious perfection, developing all
sides of our humanity; and as a general perfection, developing all parts of our
society. For if one member suffers, the other member must suffer with it; and
the fewer there is that follow the true way of salvation. The harder that way
is to find.”
His
unction is so perfect, and in such happy alliance with his good sense, that it
becomes tenderness and fervent charity. His good sense is so perfect, and in
such happy alliance with his unction, that it becomes moderation and insight.
According
to Arnold
“Culture
is harmonious perfection, developing all sides of humanity as a general
perfection”
Arnold
considers that one should see the moral, social and beneficent characters in
culture. Culture remains within us in the form of manner. The culture is the
only thing that differentiates human from animal. It makes perfect our
humanity. Culture is music, literature, painting and sculpture, theater and
film. A Ministry of Culture refers to these specific activities, sometimes with
the addition of philosophy, scholarship, history.
v Sweetness and light
A
perfection which consists of beauty and sweetness both are present there. which
unites two noblest things as Sweet happily calls them in his book ‘Battles of
the Books’ ‘the two noblest of things sweetness and light. The Greek word ‘aphuia’ means well grown or graceful.
He connects the idea of culture with sweetness and light. He explains the idea
with the help of Greek words ‘aphuia’
and ‘euphuia’.
v Anarchy (doing as one
likes)
In
this second chapter, Arnold throws some light on Anarchy and also explains
dangers of anarchy doing as one likes. In this chapter to bring some points of
anarchy. Anarchy means.
·
A state of society
without government or low.
·
A state without any
government control.
·
Freeform government
society.
·
Anarchy refers to a
society, entity, group of persons or single person without recognition of
authority.
Matthew
Arnold says that froma man without a philosophy no one can expect philosophical
completeness. So, he observes that to get a distinct notion of ouraristocratic,
our middle, and our working class, with aview of testing the claims of each of
these classes to become a center of authority.
In
this chapter to bring some points of anarchy, he speaks of light as one of the
characters of perfection, and of culture as giving us light. He further says
about danger of personal liberty that, it is said that a man with the theories
of sweetness and light is full of antipathy against the rougher or coarser
movements going on around him, that he will not lend a hand to the humble
operation of uprooting evil by their means, and therefore the believers in
action grow impatient with him.
The
state, the power most representing the right reason of the nation, and most
worthy, therefore, of ruling,exercising, when circumstances require it, authority
over us all. Culture confers upon us, if in embarrassed times like the present
it enables us to look at and the outs of things in this way, without hatred and
without partially, and with disposition to see the god in everybody all round.
Culture
which Arnold talked was as Endeavor to come at reason and the will of God by
means of reading, observing, and thinking. Still, to make it perfectly manifest
that no more in the working class than in the aristocratic and middle classes
can one find an adequate center of authority. The idea of anarchy is dangerous
because people can’t move towards right direction. At the end of this chapter
Arnold suggest that the authority should be given to one’s self.
v Arnold and three
classes:
He
has divided the society of England into three classes and analyzes them with
their virtue and defects. His scrutiny of three classes of his time proves him
good critic.
Ø The Barbarian
•
Free
minded
•
Liberty
•
Rich
class people
•
Fashionable
•
Free
to live and think
•
More
Civilized
The
barbarian or we can say that the aristocratic class. They are champion of
personal liberty and often anarchical in their tendencies yet they have their
own individualism field, sport and manly exercises are a fashion with them.
Their external styles in manners, accomplishments and powers are inherited from
the Barbarians.
Ø The Philistine
•
Commerce
•
Idea
about business
•
Industrialist
•
Tea
meeting
The
middle class, known by their wisdom, expert of industry and found busy in
industrialization and commerce. Their eternal inclination is to the progress
and prosperity of the country by building cities, railroads and running the
great wheels of industry. They have produced the greatest mercantile navy. So,
they are Empire builders. In this material progress, the working class is with
them.
Ø The Populace
•
Hard
working
•
Narrow
minded
•
Bad
activity
•
Poverty
•
Slum
area
•
Orthodoxy
•
Rigidity
The
working class is helper of the empire builders. They are raw and half
developed. They are being exploited by the Philistine and the Barbarians so
long. The author finds democratic arousing in this class because they are
getting political consciousness Because of their awakening, their poverty and
squalor dawned. They become politically conscious and coming out from
obscurities.
Our
political system everybody is comforted. Our guides and governors who have to
be elected by the influence on the Barbarians, and who depend on their favor,
sing the praises of the Barbarians, and say all the smooth things that can be
said of them. In short Arnold says that freedom or personal freedom is
necessary, but not on the shoulder of chaos or anarchy. Arnold’s point is that,
one must think in proper, right way.
Anarchy
is also a technical issue of economic science. The idea of personal freedom is
brought up by Englishman. And with it they have the concept of anarchy
inherently.
Ø Hebraism and Hellenism
Arnold
discusses about human beings are that they prefer to act rather than to think.
He talks about the great idea to know and the great energy to act. Hellenism
and Hebraism both are directly connected to the life of human beings. Hellenism
keeps emphasis on knowing or knowledge, whereas Hebraism fastens its faith in
doing.
Ø Hellenism
•
Spirit of mind
•
Spirit of Greek
•
Open minded
•
Knowledge
•
Thought for Practical
•
Follow the platonic
Idea
“Hellenism
keeps emphasis on, Knowing the things”
Ø Hebraism
•
Spirit of thought
•
Spirit of Bible
•
Narrow mindedness
•
Religious
•
Thought only for God
•
Follow the biblical
idea
“Hebraism
puts weightage on, Doing the things”
Hellenism
face to face with Hebraism. Hebraism was renewed and purged, but Hellenism of
Renaissance lost its moral character. One thing must be viewed that Hellenism
is of IndoEuropean growth and Hebraism is of Semitic growth. Those who belonged
to IndoEuropean stock showed their natural affinity to Hellenism.
“Hellenism
acquires spontaneity of consciousness with a clearness of mind, and Hebraism
achieves a strictness of conscience with its clarity of thought. In brief,
Hebraism shows stress on doing rather than knowing, and follows the will of
God. Its primary idea is absolute obedience to the will of God.”
Arnold
talks on the idea of immortality as illustrated by St. Paul, the Christian
saint and Plato, the Greek philosopher, but the both have left something mysterious.
So, the problem of human spirit is still unexplained in both Hebraism and
Hellenism. Hellenism acquires spontaneity of consciousness with a clearness of
mind, and Hebraism achieves a strictness of conscience with its clarity of
thought.
Ø Conclusion:
Matthew
Arnold’s views about culture and his discussion of necessary element of culture
in society. Importance of culture and contribution of individual are well
presented in this essay ‘Culture and Anarchy’, so, it
becomes path shower for ‘cultural studies’. In this essay, Arnold also puts his
ideas about human nature and their aim of ‘perfection’ as culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment