Thinking Activity: I.A. Richards: Verbal Analysis of poem or song or flim song lyric or hymn or devotional song.  

This Blog is response of  thinking Activity given by Professor Dr. dilip Barad sir, Here i discuss about Verbal Analysis of poem or song or flim song or devotional songs. and also my view in  Indian poetics  is based on 7 days session by Professor vinod Joshi.

   

I.A.Richards, born in 1893, is one of the greatest critics of the modern age, and has influenced a number of critics on both sides of the Atlantic. He and T.S.Eliot are pioneers in the fields of New Criticism, though they differ from each other in certain important respects. Richards is a unique figure in English literary criticism because of the originality of his ideas. Moreover, like Coleridge, Richards was also interested in philosophy. His works in literary criticism helped to lay the practical foundations and methodology of New Criticism. 

His work

• The Meaning of Meaning – 1923
• The Principles of Literary Criticism – 1924
•  The Practical Criticism – 1929. 

For kinds of Meaning

He believed that poet writes to communicate, and language is the means of that communication. Language is made of words, and hence a study of words is all important if we are to understand the meaning of a work of art. This four kinds meaning is given below.

• Sense 
• Feeling 
• Tone 
• Intention 

 To him, language of poetry is purely emotive, in its original primitive state. This language affects feelings.In his methodology, a lot of importance is given to the “words”. 

In Gujarati there is three kind of meaning

•   અભિધા: Direct Meaning. 

• વ્યંજના: There is direct meaning but it's not usable.

• લક્ષણા: There is no direct meaning

Four types of misunderstanding:

 1. Misunderstanding of the sense of poetry: Careless, intuitive reading (rhyme or irregular syntax)

2. Over-literal reading – prosaic reading

3. Defective scholarship 

 4. Difference in meaning of words in poetry and prose 

So let's analyse some of poem or flim song on the basis of the I A Richard theory of figurative language and Indian poetic. 

Poem Analysis: 

Lyrics Title: Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh

Movie: 3 Idiots

Singers: Shaan, Shantanu Moitra

Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire

Music: Shantanu Moitra

Music Company: T-Series. 

बहती हवा सा था वो

उड़ती पतंग सा था वो

कहाँ गया.. उसे ढूँढो 

बहती हवा सा था वो

उड़ती पतंग सा था वो

कहाँ गया.. उसे ढूँढो

हम को तो राहें थी चलती

वो खुद अपनी राह बनता,

गिरता संभालता

मस्ती में चलता था वो

हमको कल की फिकर सताती,

वो बस आज का जश्न मनाता,

हर लम्हें को खुल के जीता था वो

कहाँ से आया था वो..

छू के हमारे दिल को 

कहाँ गया.. उसे ढूँढो....

सुलगती धुप में छाओं के जैसा,

रेगिस्तान में गाँव के जैसा,

मन के घाव पे मरहम जैसा था वो

हम सहमें से रहते कूएं में,

वो नदिया में गोते लगता,

उलटी धरा चीर के तैरता था वो

बादल आवारा था वो..

यार हमारा था वो.. 

 कहाँ गया.. उसे ढूँढो...

हम को तो राहें थी चलती

वो खुद अपनी राह बनता,

गिरता संभालता

मस्ती में चलता था वो

हमको कल की फिकर सताती,

वो बस आज का जश्न मनाता,

हर लम्हें को खुल के जीता था वो

कहाँ से आया था वो..

छू के हमारे दिल को 

कहाँ गया.. उसे ढूँढो....

Scientific Reading - Misunderstanding of poetry  

When we do over literal reading, one may find it problematic to understand this poem because of the metaphors and similes it uses. For example song time and again refers to Hero as like moving air, flying kite, village in desert etc. One may question that how can a real person be like all this things ?

But this is overlitetal reading, scientific reading. But in literature, one has to understand the importance of metaphorical language. It is the metaphorical language through which we have to read this poem. This is the core ides discussed by I.A.Richard in the present article.this line is example of લક્ષણા. લક્ષણા means There is no direct meaning. Here, first  line  बेहती हवा सा था वो। उडती पतंग सा वो। those line say a direct meaning of  the words. 

Indian poetics:

અભિધા: Direct Meaning. 

हमको कल की फिकर सताती,

वो बस आज का जश्न मनाता,

हर लम्हें को खुल के जीता था वो 

This line say a direct meaning of abhidha  we all are worried about future life but the poet say that life is enjoy in present time.  So this is example of abhidha because this lines gives direct meaning of words. 

વ્યંજના: There is direct meaning but it's not usable.   

सुलगती धुप में छाओं के जैसा,

रेगिस्तान में गाँव के जैसा,

मन के घाव पे मरहम जैसा था वो

हम सहमें से रहते कूएं में,

वो नदिया में गोते लगता,

उलटी धरा चीर के तैरता था वो 

This line say a direct meaning of the words and also this all are the line problematic because सुलगती धुप में छाओं के‌ जैसा, रेगिस्तान में गांव के जैसा। How that's things possible because सुलगती धुप it's means hot weather and sun shining so that time छाओं means cold one time both weather not come together. 

લક્ષણા: There is no direct meaning. 

बहती हवा सा था वो

उड़ती पतंग सा था वो 

बहती हवा सा था वो, This lines say a indirect meaning because here poet use this word in metaphors it's means poet use not a direct meaning but indirect. and same thing use also next line. Because  बहती हवा it's means moving air, उड़ती पतंग it's means flying like kite in sky so person not as a part of naturel things and this all are not anyway possible. It is a best example of લક્ષણા. 

This all things are suggeste that how we all readers change poet thought and his real meaning . And that's why this all misunderstanding are happening to understand this song and his meaning. And this way Indian poetics also help us. And this way Indian poetics also help us to understand I. A. Richards Verbal Analysis.

Thinking Activity

Criticism: I A Richard "Practical Criticism" - Reading Poems 

This Blog task is the response of Reading selective poem and analyze from the reference of I.A.Richards's 'Practical Criticism' given by Prof.Dr.Dilip Barad Sir.Here I Sher my opinion on criticism and also Sher critical view of the poem Nazm: Ye Khel kya hai.

Practical criticism is, like the formal study of English literature itself, a relatively young discipline. It began in the 1920s with a series of experiments by the Cambridge critic I.A. Richards. He gave poems to students without any information about who wrote them or when they were written. In Practical Criticism of 1929 he reported on and analysed the results of his experiments. The objective of his work was to encourage students to concentrate on 'the words on the page', rather than relying on preconceived or received beliefs about a text. For Richards this form of close analysis of anonymous poems was ultimately intended to have psychological benefits for the students: by responding to all the currents of emotion and meaning in the poems and passages of prose which they read the students were to achieve what Richards called an 'organised response'. This meant that they would clarify the various currents of thought in the poem and achieve a corresponding clarification of their own emotions.

I.A. Richards notes that language of poetry is Figurative/ metaphorical/ symbolical and personified one. Language of poetry is connotative , not denotative. Meaning lies in the context. So while reading the poetry reader should be aware about this things otherwise there is possibility of Over- literal/ scientific reading, which may lead the reader to the totally different meaning than the intended one of the poem. 

 He believed that poet writes to communicate, and language is the means of that communication. Language is made of words, and hence a study of words is all important if we are to understand the meaning of a work of art. Words carry four kinds of meaning: Sense, Feelings, Tone and Intentions. Here, I discuss  my reading view of the poem Nazm- Ye Khel kya hai.

Analysis of poem: Nazm - Ye khel kya hai ( ये खेल क्या है ) by Javed akhtar

This nazm by Javed Akhtar (from his book of poems ‘Lava’) captures the notion of existential angst through the metaphor of a game of chess. He questions the contradictions of life, of social oppression and injustice through his thoughts about the rules of chess.

Nazm - Ye khel kya hai  

    ( नज़्म - ये खेल क्या है )

ये खेल क्या है

मिरे मुखालिफ़ ने चाल चल दी है 

और अब

मेरी चाल के इंतेज़ार में है

मगर मैं कब से

सफ़ेद खानों

सियाह खानों में रक्खे

काले-सफ़ेद मोहरों को देखता हूँ

मैं सोचता हूँ

ये मोहरे क्या हैं

अगर मैं समझूँ

कि ये जो मोहरे हैं

सिर्फ लकड़ी के हैं खिलौने

तो जीतना क्या है हारना क्या

न ये ज़रूरी

न वो अहम है

अगर खुशी है न जीतने की

न हारने का ही कोई ग़म है

तो खेल क्या है

मैं सोचता हूँ

जो खेलना है

तो अपने दिल में यक़ीन कर लूँ

ये मोहरे सचमुच के बादशाहो-वज़ीर

सचमुच के हैं प्यादे

और इनके आगे है

दुश्मनों की वो फ़ौज

रखती है जो कि मुझको तबाह करने के

सारे मनसूबे

सब इरादे

मगर मैं ऐसा जो मान भी लूँ

तो सोचता हूँ

ये खेल कब है

ये जंग है जिसको जीतना है

ये जंग है जिसमें सब है जायज़

कोई ये कहता है जैसे मुझसे

ये जंग भी है

ये खेल भी है

ये जंग है पर खिलाड़ियों की

ये खेल है जंग की तरह का

मैं सोचता हूँ

जो खेल है

इसमें इस तरह का उसूल क्यों है

कि कोई मोहरा रहे कि जाए

मगर जो है बादशाह

उसपर कभी कोई आँच भी न आए

वज़ीर ही को है बस इजाज़त

कि जिस तरफ़ भी वो चाहे जाए

मैं सोचता हूँ

जो खेल है

इसमें इस तरह का उसूल क्यों है

प्यादा जो अपने घर से निकले

पलट के वापस न जाने पाए

मैं सोचता हूँ

अगर यही है उसूल

तो फिर उसूल क्या है

अगर यही है ये खेल

तो फिर ये खेल क्या है

मैं इन सवालों से जाने कब से उलझ रहा हूँ

मिरे मुखालिफ़ ने चाल चल दी है

और अब मेरी चाल के इंतेज़ार में है।

 

                

Thinking Activity

Thinking Activity: Understanding the Zeitgeist of the 20th century: from Modern Times to the era of Great Dictator

 This blog i have written in a response of Thinking Activity. In this blog i am going to discuss about the important frames in Charles Chaplin's "Modern Times" and "The Great Dictator" 

"Modern Times"

Modern Times” is a silent black and white film, performed and directed by Charles Chaplin in 1936. The film is of both slapstick and satire, and is a socio-economic commentary on American society during the thirties, a period of rapid industrialization and the onset of the Great Depression. In the film, he plays a character known as the Tramp: a happy-go-lucky underdog, who does not quite understand society, and yet remains both cheerful and hopeful despite facing innumerable difficulty. In Modern Times, he portrays the reign of technology and society where humanity is forced to adjust to the machines and institutions of modern society, particularly with advent of the  Dream’ and the ‘pursuit of happiness’.

1931 Charles Chaplin told a newspaper interviewer :

“Unemployment is the vital question . . . Machinery should benefit mankind. It should not spell tragedy and throw it out of work.”

Chaplin, who was always very attentive to the economic and social problems of his day, declared in 1931: ‘unemployment, that’s the key question. Machines should do improve the well-being of humanity, instead of causing tragedy and unemployment”. 

 Ironically, the film opens with a cardboard on which is inscribed a bombastic sentence: “a story about the industry, individual initiative and the crusade of humanity in the pursuit of happiness”.

The significance of the first screen shows the time of 6 o'clock. And the time shows six o’clock is the time of leaving the factory/ industry.

Then the first frame of  sheep and second frames of fectory workers. Factories and mills were being equipped with new inventions of technology and machines were occupying the human jobs. Due to this unemployment, many people were roaming like sheep without direction.

Charlie is a factory worker in this hectic age. His job -mechanically tightening bolts on a moving belt. He crazy for his work.

This scene suggest that mind and money power is greater than muscles power.and that is best example of upper class fectory workers.

In his office, the President is shown a new aid to productivity - a method to shorten the lunch hour break and improve worker productivity. The sales pitch for a feeding machine is delivered by a mechanical salesman on a phonograph record:

a practical device which automatically feeds your men while at work. Don't stop for lunch. Be ahead of your competitor. The Billows feeding machine will eliminate the lunch hour, increase your production, and decrease your overhead.

The device is a mechanical, automated, aerodynamically-styled, silent feeding machine which features a revolving table, an automaton soup plate, an automatic food pusher, a revolving low and high gear corncob feeder, and a hydro-compressed sterilized mouth wipe. 

This film has a scene that depict great differences between social classes. There's a moment of parallelism between reality and a dream. A moment in which Chaplin and his partner are happily lying on the grass, then they saw a typical modern married couple. The man leaving home and going to work, and the wife staying house. They first joke and parody the situation, but then they dream about it. They imagine them in a real house, with food, comfort and all facilities. 

“Can you imagine us in a little home like that?” – Chapplin

Then they stop fantasizing and return to rude reality, they were homeless, without work, starving and alone.

this scene we see that Trump read newspaper that is news for fectory reopen and he thinks that new hope come his life and his dream come true.

After becoming free from jail a sheriff writes a recommendation letter, and on the basis of that letter he get a job at departmental store as a timekeeper. People are easily trust the letter. But present time people not easyly trust that type of letter and not give any job for workers.