Ladies and Gentlemen: honourable speaker, for too long now has the voice of dissent been heard in this grand hall, the last administration served only to divide us and ignite the fire of many disagreements, steeped in controversy the unity that held us together has faded dramatically. Now comes the time for that unity to shine through again as we stand bold against the perils which face us today. I promise you all as I have promised the British people, that you will have a breath of fresh air, that shall rejuvenate this great country and pull us all closer together.
I stand for the best interests of Britain, the Iraq war which has served only to divide us and all that we have strived for, it is an issue I promise to tackle with a bold new perspective, in order to bring our troops back home as soon as possible and stop the mindless bloodshed that haunts humanity today. Instead of stubbornly prolonging these massive drain on the resources of the British people; we shall work towards withdrawing our troops through a comprehensive schedule. Iraq must be divided into four sovereign states if its stability is to be maintained, each sector with its own governance and ethnic population. The job of policing these states will become much easier, instead of trying to bring order to one large area of chaos. UN peacekeeping troops will be sufficient to maintain the temporary stability required for the government in those states to stamp out the insurgents who terrorize the efforts of peace. Far from slinking away from this disaster Britain will continue to support Iraq, but in a far more sensible manner, by breaking the issue into more manageable parts, which do not require the presence of so many British troops and will allow the Iraqis to take the responsibility for their countries well being into their own hands. Once the states have stabilized their specific areas the UN can host free election for the entire country without the looming terror of insurgents.
This innovative fresh forward-looking approach shall continue with this government’s interaction with the international community. Talks with the European Union shall take on a new life, as we shall continue to protect the interests of Britain while being more open to the ideas of cooperation with Europe. We shall no longer neglect china and the Asia-pacific countries for this administration has the ability to identify the prosperity and growth we can share in together. Bi-lateral talks with these soon to be super powers shall be initiated with great vigour and we shall rise together, pulling Britain to the great economic footing it has the potential to achieve.
Trust in our government shall be renewed in the British people, not only will my ears be open to them, but I shall listen intently to my opposition for I know there is much to learn from everybody around me, in order to run this country to the best of my ability. In this new era it is co-operation and mutual understanding that shall shine through the strongest. Gone are the days when a man standing before you can spin and twist his words to delude you and this country. Trust, honour, honesty and hard work are what I believe in and I believe my merit can only be measured by what I do for the people. I promise to completely readdress our education system, to place all the people of Britain on par with the world’s increasingly difficult information and knowledge race. We shall not be left out of the modern technology sprint.
It is my great honour to serve this country, it is my honour to be able to do it with men and women like you, it is my honour to lead this country to a fresh field of opportunity and I shall not let you or the British people down. Even as the claws of terrorism work to destroy us, even us the perils of climate change rise higher and the wars we fight make us weary, the spirit of the British people is unquenchable and the very least I can do is reciprocate that inspiring tenacity.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Burn In Hell
Global warming, for how long can it remain an inconvenient truth?
It’s an extremely valid question, I mean get real how much longer can it possibly take for policy makers, business men and governments to pull their fists out of their ears and take heed of the warning signs screaming at them.
In a massive jump to attention the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to the people of this planet, I really don’t know what is.
The massive host of data, statistics, information, research and experiments that absolutely prove that global warming is indeed human induced and will destroy our climate, is enough to fill all the gaudy mansions of India’s corrupt politicians, which is no mean feat seeing that situation. Governments are instrumental in implementing the massive change that is required to make even the slightest of dents in this horrifying situation. Unfortunately signs from that side don’t seem so promising. America’s continued refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol agreement just scratched the surface of the utter denial that persists in the policies of the fabled Bush administration.
In a move that defied all logic and sensibility, the House of Representatives on august 4th disagreed about a proposal to reduce the fuel thirst of American cars. Unbelievably, they also passed up the opportunity to lavish more subsidies on ethanol. They did not even bother to consider a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade scheme for greenhouse gases. Instead they’re brilliant holistic solution was to build more windmills. These cannot even begin to compete with the coal fired monster plants, especially in southern states where the country is not mountainous and offer meager wind speeds. Such eco friendly energy initiatives will be of any real use only if it part of much larger policy including all the neglected areas mentioned above. The current scheme; when in doubt about energy policy, build more windmills, will not get us anywhere near to solving this world crisis.
Another example of a slightly neurotic piece of policy making can be seen in Beijing, where air pollution levels are so devastatingly high that the international Olympic committee president Jacques Rogge warned that some events such as long-distance races might have to be postponed as pollution in the games area was found to be so high as to effect the performance of athletes. Imagine a situation in which the race has to be stopped because the athletes are choking on noxious traffic fumes, it’s absurd; imagine the daily life of a Chinese citizen. So what’s the government’s solution to this problem? One would expect them to try and curb the 1000 new cars to the road everyday by beefing up mass public transport or at least improving legislation on more fuel-efficient or eco friendly cars. Ha! Fat chance, their brilliant quick fix solution really takes the cake. They intend to ban 1.3million cars off the roads for the duration of the games then allow them right back on after the world sees a falsely clean and green china. How do they decide which cars stay and which cars are “rested”, well isn’t it obvious; under the plan cars with odd and even numbers will be permitted to ply on the roads on alternate days and violators will be heavily fined. If anybody thinks this is just a practical joke on the governments part {I really don’t blame you} well think again because Beijing has already implemented a four day trial of this pretty much crazy scheme. The moment the Olympic games are over, Beijing’s 3 million cars will stream back on the streets as if nothing had ever happened, only to crush Beijingers short-lived experience of breathable air.
The human race has a seriously big problem on its hands and the dazed and confused works of various governments are taking us one step forward and ten steps back. Businesses don’t seem to be pulling their weight either, with massive protests against environmental taxes being levied against them or pressure to clean up their act. More dangerously companies are quickly catching up with the idea of dedicating about half a percent of their resources to the environment and then claiming and broadly publicizing themselves as the planet’s saviors. Even the rock star Sting’s cries of SOS at the recent live earth concerts, cant seem to stir the world into practical action to combat global warming. As long as environmentalism remains a pet project, a source of good PR and a ramshackle political initiative, the planets situation will continue to disintegrate at the frightening pace it has reached after the industrial revolution. If we don’t act now, regardless of our religion or atheism, we’ll end up burning in a hell, created on our very own dear blue planet
It’s an extremely valid question, I mean get real how much longer can it possibly take for policy makers, business men and governments to pull their fists out of their ears and take heed of the warning signs screaming at them.
In a massive jump to attention the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to the people of this planet, I really don’t know what is.
The massive host of data, statistics, information, research and experiments that absolutely prove that global warming is indeed human induced and will destroy our climate, is enough to fill all the gaudy mansions of India’s corrupt politicians, which is no mean feat seeing that situation. Governments are instrumental in implementing the massive change that is required to make even the slightest of dents in this horrifying situation. Unfortunately signs from that side don’t seem so promising. America’s continued refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol agreement just scratched the surface of the utter denial that persists in the policies of the fabled Bush administration.
In a move that defied all logic and sensibility, the House of Representatives on august 4th disagreed about a proposal to reduce the fuel thirst of American cars. Unbelievably, they also passed up the opportunity to lavish more subsidies on ethanol. They did not even bother to consider a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade scheme for greenhouse gases. Instead they’re brilliant holistic solution was to build more windmills. These cannot even begin to compete with the coal fired monster plants, especially in southern states where the country is not mountainous and offer meager wind speeds. Such eco friendly energy initiatives will be of any real use only if it part of much larger policy including all the neglected areas mentioned above. The current scheme; when in doubt about energy policy, build more windmills, will not get us anywhere near to solving this world crisis.
Another example of a slightly neurotic piece of policy making can be seen in Beijing, where air pollution levels are so devastatingly high that the international Olympic committee president Jacques Rogge warned that some events such as long-distance races might have to be postponed as pollution in the games area was found to be so high as to effect the performance of athletes. Imagine a situation in which the race has to be stopped because the athletes are choking on noxious traffic fumes, it’s absurd; imagine the daily life of a Chinese citizen. So what’s the government’s solution to this problem? One would expect them to try and curb the 1000 new cars to the road everyday by beefing up mass public transport or at least improving legislation on more fuel-efficient or eco friendly cars. Ha! Fat chance, their brilliant quick fix solution really takes the cake. They intend to ban 1.3million cars off the roads for the duration of the games then allow them right back on after the world sees a falsely clean and green china. How do they decide which cars stay and which cars are “rested”, well isn’t it obvious; under the plan cars with odd and even numbers will be permitted to ply on the roads on alternate days and violators will be heavily fined. If anybody thinks this is just a practical joke on the governments part {I really don’t blame you} well think again because Beijing has already implemented a four day trial of this pretty much crazy scheme. The moment the Olympic games are over, Beijing’s 3 million cars will stream back on the streets as if nothing had ever happened, only to crush Beijingers short-lived experience of breathable air.
The human race has a seriously big problem on its hands and the dazed and confused works of various governments are taking us one step forward and ten steps back. Businesses don’t seem to be pulling their weight either, with massive protests against environmental taxes being levied against them or pressure to clean up their act. More dangerously companies are quickly catching up with the idea of dedicating about half a percent of their resources to the environment and then claiming and broadly publicizing themselves as the planet’s saviors. Even the rock star Sting’s cries of SOS at the recent live earth concerts, cant seem to stir the world into practical action to combat global warming. As long as environmentalism remains a pet project, a source of good PR and a ramshackle political initiative, the planets situation will continue to disintegrate at the frightening pace it has reached after the industrial revolution. If we don’t act now, regardless of our religion or atheism, we’ll end up burning in a hell, created on our very own dear blue planet
Global warming
Global warming
College gathering
Global warming is the single greatest challenge humanity has to face, unlike nuclear proliferation it doesn't pose the of-chance of total annihilation but instead a much greater likelihood of the slow poising of our planet which we will soon be powerless to stop. Radical new technologies have created a deadly alliance with old polluting habits resulting in the degradation of our environment. As college students the future is in your hands, you will go out into this world and have to live with what it is. Do you want to suffer the consequences of global warming and allow your children to go through the same horror or do you want to make a difference in our world’s fate.
This is no hoax I assure all of you, conflicting media reports might have confused you till now but this issue is real and deadly. If measures are not taken immediately global warming will reach uncontrollable proportions, already we are nearing the point of no return. The IPCC's most recent extensive research endeavour has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to all of us, who knows what is. The time has come and gone for deliberation about the immediacy and importance of global warming. You can no longer be blinded by the critics who have wrongfully labelled this issue as a hoax or an exaggeration. The situation is far worse than even the direst assessments.
It is up to you to educate people and make them aware about these dangerous, go out there write your thesis’s and doctorates on this issue, it is of vital importance. We must try and educate the public. I encourage all of you doing science to delve into research on this area and any of you working on policy, law and politics to focus your attentions on these problems as you graduate. Why even now you can make a difference, join the protest against polluting companies, boycott their products; write letters to the government encouraging them to take action. Even in you daily life, be more aware, conserve electricity, use only public transport and follow the practical action list on www.liveearth.org to combat global warming on a personal level.
All of humanities past, present and future accomplishments hang in the balance. Soon global warming will spiral out of control. The raging power of our planet warns us of our impending fate. Look at the devastation it can wreak through natural disasters. If we are to destroy the only planet we have, were then shall we go. It is our duty and moral responsibility not only as students and citizens but as the representatives of the entire human race history to face this problem head on and not turn away in ignorance. Never before has humanity had the resources, the technologies, the international political stability and co-operation to address this massive problem. We have put men on the moon, sent satellites deep into outer space, split the atom and built towering monoliths , why then should the unquenchable spirit of mankind be crushed by our greed and ignorance of our environment. This is where we shall make our stand, this is when we shall be united and stand together to face the challenge that lies ahead of us, each and every one of us shall play our part or suffer the inevitable consequences. This is not an impossible task; humanity does not know the meaning of impossible and you are the future of humanity.
College gathering
Global warming is the single greatest challenge humanity has to face, unlike nuclear proliferation it doesn't pose the of-chance of total annihilation but instead a much greater likelihood of the slow poising of our planet which we will soon be powerless to stop. Radical new technologies have created a deadly alliance with old polluting habits resulting in the degradation of our environment. As college students the future is in your hands, you will go out into this world and have to live with what it is. Do you want to suffer the consequences of global warming and allow your children to go through the same horror or do you want to make a difference in our world’s fate.
This is no hoax I assure all of you, conflicting media reports might have confused you till now but this issue is real and deadly. If measures are not taken immediately global warming will reach uncontrollable proportions, already we are nearing the point of no return. The IPCC's most recent extensive research endeavour has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to all of us, who knows what is. The time has come and gone for deliberation about the immediacy and importance of global warming. You can no longer be blinded by the critics who have wrongfully labelled this issue as a hoax or an exaggeration. The situation is far worse than even the direst assessments.
It is up to you to educate people and make them aware about these dangerous, go out there write your thesis’s and doctorates on this issue, it is of vital importance. We must try and educate the public. I encourage all of you doing science to delve into research on this area and any of you working on policy, law and politics to focus your attentions on these problems as you graduate. Why even now you can make a difference, join the protest against polluting companies, boycott their products; write letters to the government encouraging them to take action. Even in you daily life, be more aware, conserve electricity, use only public transport and follow the practical action list on www.liveearth.org to combat global warming on a personal level.
All of humanities past, present and future accomplishments hang in the balance. Soon global warming will spiral out of control. The raging power of our planet warns us of our impending fate. Look at the devastation it can wreak through natural disasters. If we are to destroy the only planet we have, were then shall we go. It is our duty and moral responsibility not only as students and citizens but as the representatives of the entire human race history to face this problem head on and not turn away in ignorance. Never before has humanity had the resources, the technologies, the international political stability and co-operation to address this massive problem. We have put men on the moon, sent satellites deep into outer space, split the atom and built towering monoliths , why then should the unquenchable spirit of mankind be crushed by our greed and ignorance of our environment. This is where we shall make our stand, this is when we shall be united and stand together to face the challenge that lies ahead of us, each and every one of us shall play our part or suffer the inevitable consequences. This is not an impossible task; humanity does not know the meaning of impossible and you are the future of humanity.
speeches
Speech following the assassination of Malcom X:
“My fellow people, we meet here amidst a cloud of despair and mourning, but a silver lining, a ray of light pierces this dark cloud of loss and pain. That light shines forth from the one person we are here to remember. Even though he has left this mortal earth, his presence lives on in every single one of us. His words echo in our ears. Nay we are not here, to give in to our grief, we are here to draw courage from the life of this true hero. The bullet that pierced the heart of Malcolm X could not pierce his spirit. His message, strength and force of character will live on till justice has been served. We shall continue his fight, to make all people on this earth free and equal. The men who plotted to destroy his dream have not succeeded. They only thing they have achieved, is to make his words reverberate louder than ever before. He has died a martyr and a great one at that, fighting for what he believed in till the very end. His unselfish devotion to the emancipation of the oppressed will not be forgotten soon. His legacy shall live on, in every single one of us. His dream will be realised by the fruit of our labour. Let this not be the doom laden dusk of his ideals, instead let this be a new dawn, bringing forth the glorious shining hope he bathes us with from the clouds above. He is watching down on us and we shall do him proud by finishing what he started.”
Inspirational speech for soldiers on the way to certain death:
“Tonight you go forth to die for your country and she promises you that your sacrifice will not be in vain. You are the men, no, you are the heroes who posses the courage and the valour to lay die your life for the most noble and honourable cause any man can dream of. You shall walk the road to eternal glory tonight and follow in the hallowed footsteps of your forefathers who laid down their lives to pave the way forward for our great nation. Your blood will cleanse the earth of its sins, so blessed is the cause you are fighting for. Fear not the oncoming night; let the light of heaven shine down upon you as you go to claim the just reward for your ultimate sacrifice. Go now, like the heroes you are, go in glory, go with honour and above all go with valour. Your time is now, your sacrifice will turn the wheels of our nation, and your bones and blood will be its soil. A man can ask for no better a fate.”
“My fellow people, we meet here amidst a cloud of despair and mourning, but a silver lining, a ray of light pierces this dark cloud of loss and pain. That light shines forth from the one person we are here to remember. Even though he has left this mortal earth, his presence lives on in every single one of us. His words echo in our ears. Nay we are not here, to give in to our grief, we are here to draw courage from the life of this true hero. The bullet that pierced the heart of Malcolm X could not pierce his spirit. His message, strength and force of character will live on till justice has been served. We shall continue his fight, to make all people on this earth free and equal. The men who plotted to destroy his dream have not succeeded. They only thing they have achieved, is to make his words reverberate louder than ever before. He has died a martyr and a great one at that, fighting for what he believed in till the very end. His unselfish devotion to the emancipation of the oppressed will not be forgotten soon. His legacy shall live on, in every single one of us. His dream will be realised by the fruit of our labour. Let this not be the doom laden dusk of his ideals, instead let this be a new dawn, bringing forth the glorious shining hope he bathes us with from the clouds above. He is watching down on us and we shall do him proud by finishing what he started.”
Inspirational speech for soldiers on the way to certain death:
“Tonight you go forth to die for your country and she promises you that your sacrifice will not be in vain. You are the men, no, you are the heroes who posses the courage and the valour to lay die your life for the most noble and honourable cause any man can dream of. You shall walk the road to eternal glory tonight and follow in the hallowed footsteps of your forefathers who laid down their lives to pave the way forward for our great nation. Your blood will cleanse the earth of its sins, so blessed is the cause you are fighting for. Fear not the oncoming night; let the light of heaven shine down upon you as you go to claim the just reward for your ultimate sacrifice. Go now, like the heroes you are, go in glory, go with honour and above all go with valour. Your time is now, your sacrifice will turn the wheels of our nation, and your bones and blood will be its soil. A man can ask for no better a fate.”
The evolution of the ideas on motion through the ages; with specific reference to Aristotle, Galileo and Isaac Newton
The study of physics has been a quest that has been traversed by generations of human beings on the journey to explain their physical environment. Today the laws of physics encompass a vast body of phenomenon from cosmic events to toaster ovens to tiny atoms. These laws were not always so accurate and are a result of constant evolution through the development of ideas and scientific methods, maybe even toady we are all horribly wrong about the nature of the universe and the next big leap is lying just around the corner.
The evolution of one of the fundamental ideas of physics is what I am taking into consideration here; motion. Motion is a part of our everyday lives, from locomoting to the bus stop to the blood gushing around in our arteries. Even though it seems like a relatively simple concept its evolution had been a long one, fraught with misconceptions and strokes of genius as well.
Today we explain motion as a continuous change in the position of a body relative to a reference point, as measured by a particular observer in a particular frame of reference.
Two models are in common use today, the Newtonian model and the special relativistic model.
But more than a thousand years ago things were different
Physical science went hand in hand in philosophy as can be seen in Aristotle’s {382 - 322 bc} description of motion as “any kind of change” and the “actuality of a potentiality”. He also believed that the substances making up the Earth were different from the substance making up the heavens, which meant that he had a different set of laws for the motion of objects on earth and the motion of celestial spheres. This sort of division seems impractical in today science as we stress on finding laws, which are applicable to a wide variety of phenomenon. It must be remembered though, that the tools for examining physical phenomenon outside our atmosphere were almost non-existent at that time. He also taught that dynamics (the branch of physics that deals with motion) was primarily determined by the nature of the substance that was moving.
The rest of Aristotle theories can be summed up as:
All motion on the Earth being linear.
All motion in the heavens (outer space) being curved.
The speed at which an object falls is directly related to the mass of an object.
Motion could be considered in two main factions: natural and violent.
Motion continues so long as there is only an applied motion to an object. Removing the motion stops the object.
A glance at these postulates awakens surprise and even laughter in my mind, but as always we must keep in mind the lack of advanced scientific tools for measurement. All physics is constructed by postulation followed by accurate experimentation and the collation of the results into a sound theorem. Aristotle possessed few scientific tools other than his eyes and ears. Thus linear motion seems rather plausible if he had no way to measure the motion of a projectile in two dimensions simultaneously as we can do these days. Telescopes had not been developed thus Aristotle’s views on celestial motion could not hope to be accurate without, observational evidence. It seems like common sense for an iron ball to reach the ground before a feather; Aristotle had neither vacuum chamber nor a proper concept of gravitation or inertia to help him see past this obvious blunder. The ideas of friction and inertia eluded him, leading him to believe that removing an applied motion stops a body.
The evolution of these ideas into Galileo’s {1564 – 1642 AD) more accurate picture shows me the importance of scientific tools. Galileo was able to create a more accurate picture of motion in space because of the development of the telescope, which allowed him to make extensive observations and records of the motion of planets. His concept of inertia was quite contrary to Aristotle's ideas of motion and the idea of frictional forces helped him properly analyze why some objects {like a block of wood} stopped moving once a force was removed and why other objects {like an arrow} continued moving because of little friction from the air and plenty of inertia. These differences {between a block of wood and an arrow} had thoroughly puzzled Aristotle leading him to draw drastically incorrect conclusions. Applying these concepts Galileo also managed to dispel the famous myth that objects of different masses fell with different accelerations as the story of the leaning tower of Pisa experiment suggests. It would be foolish to say though, that Aristotle’s contributions were useless, the nature of any evolution is such that there must be a foundation {even if it is incorrect} on which new, different ideas can be built upon. Aristotle had made the vital contribution of taking the first brave steps towards humanities understanding of motion and physics.
The most important piece of the puzzle for our modern understanding of motion in engineering and everyday life is Isaac Newton’s (1642-1727) contributions in the form of his laws of motions. Again these were built upon Galileo’s theories but like all forms of evolution, it provided a more insightful picture to the puzzle of motion. Newton took the huge leap of suggesting that the laws that governed the heavens were the same laws that governed motion on the surface of the Earth. He went on to make the vital contribution of providing a solid body of mathematics on which motion could be accurately calculated. This allowed him to integrate the ideas of motion into three laws thus putting an end to the compartmentalization of the various ideas of motion that had plagued humanity before. Newton’s contributions ranged form carrying out thousand of painstaking experiments to verify his mathematical description of motion to helping in the development of calculus for more complex types of motion
In the Newtonian model, because motion is defined as the proportion of space to time, these concepts are prior to motion, just as the concept of motion itself is prior to force. In other words, the properties of space and time determine the nature of motion and the properties of motion, in turn, determine the nature of force.
Newton’s laws can be summarized as:
1.An object will maintain its state of rest or constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force
2.) When an external unbalanced force is applied to an object at rest or in constant speed in a straight line, the object accelerates in the direction of the unbalanced force. Furthermore, the acceleration of the object is directly proportional to the net forces acting on the object, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object being accelerated (F=ma) "
3.) When an object exerts a force on a second object, the second object will exert a force of equal magnitude, and opposite direction on the first object
Newton also went on to create a more concrete idea of friction, based on Galileo’s ideas {again here we see the importance of basing ideas on previous concepts and how ideas can evolve and develop down the ages}
Newton’s laws seemed to be the final step in humanities understanding of motion as they are perfect at physically and mathematical describing motion at a day to day level adequate for engineering and other human activities.
But no story in physic ever has an end, there will always be something deeper and more magnificent lying below what we already know, humanity can only begin to scratch the surface of the true reality and nature of the universe.
Einstein and Euclidean geometry made the next big leaps from Newtonian motion, speaking of relative motion *1 and the space-time theory, this paved the way for quantum physics pioneered by physicists such as Heinsberg and perfected by geniuses such as Richard Fennyman.
Who knows what the next big leap will be.. Maybe we will complete a full circle back to the philosophies from where we once started. Maybe Zeno was right all along in his idea that there is no such thing as motion and everything in the universe is one…
*1 In the special relativistic model, motion can be thought of as something like an angle between a space direction and the time direction. In special relativity and Euclidean space, only relative motion can be measured, and absolute motion is meaningless.
Bibliography
Physics “cutnell and Johnson”
http://library.thinkquest.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/aris-mot.htm
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton.html
http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/aristot2.html
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33175/Aristotle
The evolution of one of the fundamental ideas of physics is what I am taking into consideration here; motion. Motion is a part of our everyday lives, from locomoting to the bus stop to the blood gushing around in our arteries. Even though it seems like a relatively simple concept its evolution had been a long one, fraught with misconceptions and strokes of genius as well.
Today we explain motion as a continuous change in the position of a body relative to a reference point, as measured by a particular observer in a particular frame of reference.
Two models are in common use today, the Newtonian model and the special relativistic model.
But more than a thousand years ago things were different
Physical science went hand in hand in philosophy as can be seen in Aristotle’s {382 - 322 bc} description of motion as “any kind of change” and the “actuality of a potentiality”. He also believed that the substances making up the Earth were different from the substance making up the heavens, which meant that he had a different set of laws for the motion of objects on earth and the motion of celestial spheres. This sort of division seems impractical in today science as we stress on finding laws, which are applicable to a wide variety of phenomenon. It must be remembered though, that the tools for examining physical phenomenon outside our atmosphere were almost non-existent at that time. He also taught that dynamics (the branch of physics that deals with motion) was primarily determined by the nature of the substance that was moving.
The rest of Aristotle theories can be summed up as:
All motion on the Earth being linear.
All motion in the heavens (outer space) being curved.
The speed at which an object falls is directly related to the mass of an object.
Motion could be considered in two main factions: natural and violent.
Motion continues so long as there is only an applied motion to an object. Removing the motion stops the object.
A glance at these postulates awakens surprise and even laughter in my mind, but as always we must keep in mind the lack of advanced scientific tools for measurement. All physics is constructed by postulation followed by accurate experimentation and the collation of the results into a sound theorem. Aristotle possessed few scientific tools other than his eyes and ears. Thus linear motion seems rather plausible if he had no way to measure the motion of a projectile in two dimensions simultaneously as we can do these days. Telescopes had not been developed thus Aristotle’s views on celestial motion could not hope to be accurate without, observational evidence. It seems like common sense for an iron ball to reach the ground before a feather; Aristotle had neither vacuum chamber nor a proper concept of gravitation or inertia to help him see past this obvious blunder. The ideas of friction and inertia eluded him, leading him to believe that removing an applied motion stops a body.
The evolution of these ideas into Galileo’s {1564 – 1642 AD) more accurate picture shows me the importance of scientific tools. Galileo was able to create a more accurate picture of motion in space because of the development of the telescope, which allowed him to make extensive observations and records of the motion of planets. His concept of inertia was quite contrary to Aristotle's ideas of motion and the idea of frictional forces helped him properly analyze why some objects {like a block of wood} stopped moving once a force was removed and why other objects {like an arrow} continued moving because of little friction from the air and plenty of inertia. These differences {between a block of wood and an arrow} had thoroughly puzzled Aristotle leading him to draw drastically incorrect conclusions. Applying these concepts Galileo also managed to dispel the famous myth that objects of different masses fell with different accelerations as the story of the leaning tower of Pisa experiment suggests. It would be foolish to say though, that Aristotle’s contributions were useless, the nature of any evolution is such that there must be a foundation {even if it is incorrect} on which new, different ideas can be built upon. Aristotle had made the vital contribution of taking the first brave steps towards humanities understanding of motion and physics.
The most important piece of the puzzle for our modern understanding of motion in engineering and everyday life is Isaac Newton’s (1642-1727) contributions in the form of his laws of motions. Again these were built upon Galileo’s theories but like all forms of evolution, it provided a more insightful picture to the puzzle of motion. Newton took the huge leap of suggesting that the laws that governed the heavens were the same laws that governed motion on the surface of the Earth. He went on to make the vital contribution of providing a solid body of mathematics on which motion could be accurately calculated. This allowed him to integrate the ideas of motion into three laws thus putting an end to the compartmentalization of the various ideas of motion that had plagued humanity before. Newton’s contributions ranged form carrying out thousand of painstaking experiments to verify his mathematical description of motion to helping in the development of calculus for more complex types of motion
In the Newtonian model, because motion is defined as the proportion of space to time, these concepts are prior to motion, just as the concept of motion itself is prior to force. In other words, the properties of space and time determine the nature of motion and the properties of motion, in turn, determine the nature of force.
Newton’s laws can be summarized as:
1.An object will maintain its state of rest or constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force
2.) When an external unbalanced force is applied to an object at rest or in constant speed in a straight line, the object accelerates in the direction of the unbalanced force. Furthermore, the acceleration of the object is directly proportional to the net forces acting on the object, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object being accelerated (F=ma) "
3.) When an object exerts a force on a second object, the second object will exert a force of equal magnitude, and opposite direction on the first object
Newton also went on to create a more concrete idea of friction, based on Galileo’s ideas {again here we see the importance of basing ideas on previous concepts and how ideas can evolve and develop down the ages}
Newton’s laws seemed to be the final step in humanities understanding of motion as they are perfect at physically and mathematical describing motion at a day to day level adequate for engineering and other human activities.
But no story in physic ever has an end, there will always be something deeper and more magnificent lying below what we already know, humanity can only begin to scratch the surface of the true reality and nature of the universe.
Einstein and Euclidean geometry made the next big leaps from Newtonian motion, speaking of relative motion *1 and the space-time theory, this paved the way for quantum physics pioneered by physicists such as Heinsberg and perfected by geniuses such as Richard Fennyman.
Who knows what the next big leap will be.. Maybe we will complete a full circle back to the philosophies from where we once started. Maybe Zeno was right all along in his idea that there is no such thing as motion and everything in the universe is one…
*1 In the special relativistic model, motion can be thought of as something like an angle between a space direction and the time direction. In special relativity and Euclidean space, only relative motion can be measured, and absolute motion is meaningless.
Bibliography
Physics “cutnell and Johnson”
http://library.thinkquest.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/aris-mot.htm
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton.html
http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/aristot2.html
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33175/Aristotle
leaves
The rippling green as the leaves shuffle together smoothly
From the light and shadow springs the different hues as leaves glow a sunset green and fade to dull emptiness
Slender brown boughs flow into thick mighty trunks, forever crisscrossed by the beams of sunlight.
Atop each bunch of leaves sways husky brown purple flowers, standing apart and alone even while banded with the undulating green
White clouds poke their way through the gaps between the leaves creating a forever changing mosaic,
Till it all blurs into points of white, green and brown
Still the leaves ripple, shake, shudder and sway till infinity comes and leaves.
Write about the impact the close reading of pied beauty had on you because of its imagery, sound and sense.
Pied beauty has a powerful effect on me before and after the close reading. Surreal, lyrical and almost mystical imagery coupled with cascading sound and a magical sense comes together energetically to create an intense, exhilarating and insightful depiction of nature.
This powerful imagery is created by neologisms such as “couple-colour” , “rose-moles” and “brinded”. The word “couple-colour” has a powerful descriptive effect, with its meaning of multiple colours all working cohesively together to create a beautiful image. The alliteration of the “c” sound which rolls easily and fluidly off the tongue helps intensify the image of these magnificent colours of the sky blending together seamlessly and perfectly. The simile comparing the colour of the sky to a “brinded cow” is absolutely awesome because we have no idea what it really means, but can still understand its beauty and subtly effortlessly as if we almost instinctively know what the word “brinded” means. Here a parallel is drawn between nature and a word like “brinded”. Even though we cannot fully understand either of them, we can still appreciate them and feel them so powerfully. “Rose-moles” is another effective example of this, the word combination is absolutely alien yet it sounds so familiar and inspires such a vivid image in my head. I can see the colour of rose, reflected on a rippling surface of water almost as if it’s the shadow cast by a fair maidens beauty mole. This surreal and almost irrational imagery is created by the tool of coupling words together in unfamiliar combinations so as to cast aside the stereotypes, generalizations and walls in our minds, which influence and hamper our perception of the world around us. The word “stipple” as well, describes a fascinating yet unfamiliar motion. This meaning is created by its similarity to the word ripple and the same rolling and waving “l” sound. At the same time the word means nothing to me so I am free to imagine any illogical, surreal and irrational motion I wish to, without confining my ideas to ponds, stones and ripples.
The surreal and energetic use of language is seen most effectively in lines such as “fresh fire-coal, chestnut falls, finches wings,” where the hectic, organic and bubbling rhythm along with the flashing images and beautiful sound helps outline the inscape of nature. In this line sprung rhythm is used to perfection as the stress and unstressed pattern seems to bounce out at me, shaking me out of my complacency of viewing the natural world with such a lazy uninterested eye. Vibrant colours blaze across my eyes as I visualise the reds, greys and blacks of “fresh fire-coal” {here the repeated “f” sound emphasizes this fresh, burning feeling}. These colours are given a sense of motion as they are related to the falling of a chestnut and how the air around its flows and ripples like the delicate motion of finch’s wings. All these descriptive metaphors come together to create a breathtakingly surreal and almost magical image.
Powerful ideas and thoughts are also communicated in this poem, such as the idea that man is an intrusion into the natural world, plotting and piecing it into order and submission. The line “all trades, their gear and tackle and trim” has a very mechanized rhythm disturbing the beautiful flow of the poem in clouds of automation and industrialization. This is a comment on how man has an intrusive effect on nature.
On a lighter note the poem also contains a hidden duality which is reflected in Hopkins play of words such as “ swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim” where oxymorons are clumped together forcing you to think of both sides of nature at once. This induced accelerated thought process helps you blast away your commonly held assumptions and see the natural world for what it really is. The architectonics of these lines are such that losing a single word or sound could ruin the whole poem as they rhythm and imagery winds it together into a single beautiful, cohesive unit.
A mix of the feminine and masculine sides of nature is also brought in as Hopkins includes both sides of a whole. Feminine lines such as, “rose – moles all in a stipple upon trout that swim” are balanced by more masculine lines such as, “ landscape plotted and pieced”. The difference can be seen in the rhythm and sound of the lines. The later being harder and stronger while the former softer and more flowing. This helps to illustrate that everything in nature is in a sort of balance {ying and yang if you will} and it takes many parts to make a whole
Hopkins also incorporates an interesting questioning paradox into his poem, in the form of “he fathers-forth whose beauty is past change”. This line brings about a fascinating question, namely. If the beauty of god is static and unchanging how could he have created such dynamic and pied beauty in nature? This is a deeply philosophical questioning and reflects his desire for other people to think and view natural beauty in a deeper and more insightful light.
On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed my deep reading of pied beauty. Mostly because of the pure joy and energy communicated by the language coupled with the poems lyrical and mystical sound. Understanding it isn’t even a major component because the words speak for themselves without having to deal with the messy, inefficient business of having to make sense. Even when one takes another reading, in order to read a little deeper, there is a treasure trove of ideas, opinions, philosophies and questions to be found. This makes pied beauty a very interesting and powerful poem through its masterful use of imagery, sound and language. The essence of the poem is trying to reflect the innermost essence of nature in its beautiful, surreal and mystical element.
This powerful imagery is created by neologisms such as “couple-colour” , “rose-moles” and “brinded”. The word “couple-colour” has a powerful descriptive effect, with its meaning of multiple colours all working cohesively together to create a beautiful image. The alliteration of the “c” sound which rolls easily and fluidly off the tongue helps intensify the image of these magnificent colours of the sky blending together seamlessly and perfectly. The simile comparing the colour of the sky to a “brinded cow” is absolutely awesome because we have no idea what it really means, but can still understand its beauty and subtly effortlessly as if we almost instinctively know what the word “brinded” means. Here a parallel is drawn between nature and a word like “brinded”. Even though we cannot fully understand either of them, we can still appreciate them and feel them so powerfully. “Rose-moles” is another effective example of this, the word combination is absolutely alien yet it sounds so familiar and inspires such a vivid image in my head. I can see the colour of rose, reflected on a rippling surface of water almost as if it’s the shadow cast by a fair maidens beauty mole. This surreal and almost irrational imagery is created by the tool of coupling words together in unfamiliar combinations so as to cast aside the stereotypes, generalizations and walls in our minds, which influence and hamper our perception of the world around us. The word “stipple” as well, describes a fascinating yet unfamiliar motion. This meaning is created by its similarity to the word ripple and the same rolling and waving “l” sound. At the same time the word means nothing to me so I am free to imagine any illogical, surreal and irrational motion I wish to, without confining my ideas to ponds, stones and ripples.
The surreal and energetic use of language is seen most effectively in lines such as “fresh fire-coal, chestnut falls, finches wings,” where the hectic, organic and bubbling rhythm along with the flashing images and beautiful sound helps outline the inscape of nature. In this line sprung rhythm is used to perfection as the stress and unstressed pattern seems to bounce out at me, shaking me out of my complacency of viewing the natural world with such a lazy uninterested eye. Vibrant colours blaze across my eyes as I visualise the reds, greys and blacks of “fresh fire-coal” {here the repeated “f” sound emphasizes this fresh, burning feeling}. These colours are given a sense of motion as they are related to the falling of a chestnut and how the air around its flows and ripples like the delicate motion of finch’s wings. All these descriptive metaphors come together to create a breathtakingly surreal and almost magical image.
Powerful ideas and thoughts are also communicated in this poem, such as the idea that man is an intrusion into the natural world, plotting and piecing it into order and submission. The line “all trades, their gear and tackle and trim” has a very mechanized rhythm disturbing the beautiful flow of the poem in clouds of automation and industrialization. This is a comment on how man has an intrusive effect on nature.
On a lighter note the poem also contains a hidden duality which is reflected in Hopkins play of words such as “ swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim” where oxymorons are clumped together forcing you to think of both sides of nature at once. This induced accelerated thought process helps you blast away your commonly held assumptions and see the natural world for what it really is. The architectonics of these lines are such that losing a single word or sound could ruin the whole poem as they rhythm and imagery winds it together into a single beautiful, cohesive unit.
A mix of the feminine and masculine sides of nature is also brought in as Hopkins includes both sides of a whole. Feminine lines such as, “rose – moles all in a stipple upon trout that swim” are balanced by more masculine lines such as, “ landscape plotted and pieced”. The difference can be seen in the rhythm and sound of the lines. The later being harder and stronger while the former softer and more flowing. This helps to illustrate that everything in nature is in a sort of balance {ying and yang if you will} and it takes many parts to make a whole
Hopkins also incorporates an interesting questioning paradox into his poem, in the form of “he fathers-forth whose beauty is past change”. This line brings about a fascinating question, namely. If the beauty of god is static and unchanging how could he have created such dynamic and pied beauty in nature? This is a deeply philosophical questioning and reflects his desire for other people to think and view natural beauty in a deeper and more insightful light.
On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed my deep reading of pied beauty. Mostly because of the pure joy and energy communicated by the language coupled with the poems lyrical and mystical sound. Understanding it isn’t even a major component because the words speak for themselves without having to deal with the messy, inefficient business of having to make sense. Even when one takes another reading, in order to read a little deeper, there is a treasure trove of ideas, opinions, philosophies and questions to be found. This makes pied beauty a very interesting and powerful poem through its masterful use of imagery, sound and language. The essence of the poem is trying to reflect the innermost essence of nature in its beautiful, surreal and mystical element.
Compare summer farm and continuum as deeper poetic explorations of the self
Summer farm and continuum both delve deep into poetic explorations of the self, through the use of powerful and surreal language, sound and meaning. These poems both set the stage for deep perceptual philosophy by creating a poetic and mystical atmosphere in their lines.
Continuum begins by providing a description of the motion of the moon according to the poet’s perception as, “The moon rolls over the roof and falls behind/ my house, and the moon does neither of these things,/ I am talking about myself.”. Curnow begins the poem with this powerful and pertinent line about perception and the divide between an empiricist’s mind and a poetic mind, this divide is taking place inside the writer’s own head and reflects the philosophical divide in our perception of reality. We can either view the moon as a great ball rolling over the roof as our eyes and instinct seem to tell us, or we can cloud our true perception by taking into consideration scientific knowledge of the moon and thus dismiss our earlier observation as merely a trivially mental game, as it “does neither of these things”. Curnow hints at a deeper exploration of the self by adding the line, “I am talking about myself” to stand-alone and be emphasized. Instantly my mind highlights this line and I am intrigued by what he is trying to communicate, maybe perception is entirely dependant on the perceiver and so all Curnow really has to do is talk about “himself” in order to describe his perception in entirety.
This room for thought and the space for deeper meaning, is created by the beautiful and almost mystical language Curnow uses throughout the poem. An example of this can be seen in the line, “palms into the washed-out creation”. Here a surreal and almost mystical image is created by the use of the words, “washed out” and “creation” the description of reality as a dreary watered down painting is highly effective and evocative due to the eerie images it produces. This line comes from the poetic side of the author and it is the philosopher who is speaking now. The use of such lyrical language suggests that everyday scenes can be viewed as beautiful acts of god through the eyes of a poet. Maybe such perception is as important as a factual and knowledge based view of the universe, as it provides the soul, or the entire man, with a deep and primal view of reality.
This line follows into the empiricist’s point of view as the factual mind of the author kicks in, “a dark place with two particular/ bright clouds dusted (query) by the moon”. The empiricist mind stuck within the poet {or the poet stuck within the empiricist – who’s to judge) is reflected in the use of very specific scientific language such as “particular”, “bright”, “query”. All these words indicate keen scientific observation without the presence of imagination. Even when the poet attempts to introduce a bit of a lyrical aspect, with the word dusted, the empiricist quickly knocks him down by questioning his use of the word by providing a “query” because that mind cannot understand perception on a deeper level. This hints at basic conflict between the two selves of the author and how the empiricist restricts the freedom of thought in the poet, with his factual knowledge and scientific understanding.
The poet refers to the need for the deeper exploration of the self in the lines “it’s not possible to get off to sleep”. Obviously the nagging anxiety and will for the poet within the man to be allowed to roam free and question reality, perception and the self is discomforting the whole man because the empiricist quails at the idea. This serves to further emphasize the conflict and turmoil that is taking place between the two selves of the author.
The most powerful lines in the poem sums up this conflict in the writer’s mind between the poet-philosopher and the empiricist, “Turn on a bare/ heel, close the door behind/ on the author, cringing demiurge, who picks up his litter and his tools and paces me back to bed, stealthily in step”. Here is a deeply metaphorical line that reveals the multiple states of mind that lie, conflicting within the author’s existence, both sides allow him to perceive reality in different ways but these two sides do not seem to be compatible, the entire man observes this conflict. He attempts to turn the poet away because the overbearing empiricist wants to turn his back on the poet and shut him off, because he fears what he cannot understand and what threatens to destabilize his way of thinking. There is the idea though that the entire man cannot truly get rid of the poet because he is an integral part of the whole self, of the soul and thus cannot be fully abandoned and instead, “paces me back to bed, stealthily in step”. The soft sneaking “s” sound in “stealthily” and “step” emphasized the idea of the poet slipping quietly back into a crevice of the mind of the self, unwanted but always needed.
Summer farm is another poem in which the author delves deep into the exploration of the self as Norman MacCaig tries to analyze what exactly the self as an entity is. As in continuum the poet does delve into the perception of reality. In this case though instead of being in two different minds about the perception of his reality, MacCaig encourages himself to break free of the usual mundane understanding of the world around him, there is very little inhibition from the empiricist within him since MacCaig is attempting to deeply question the true understanding of what the self is.
He begins to do this by firstly freeing his mind of its walls and inhibitions, “This grasshopper with plated face/ Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space.”, The use of the words, “plated face” refers to the mask we all wear , which restricts our view of the true nature of the universe and thus defines our perception. MacCaig goes on to tear apart this idea with the metaphor of the grasshopper unfurling itself and launching into “space”. This could be the space within one’s own mind in which there is room for your perception to grow and break free of its plated bounds. The poet is gaining confidence and is ready to jump deep into the depths of exploring himself.
The most powerful lines of this poem sums up the poets search for himself, even though his discovery is inconclusive it hints at a vastly fascinating attitude of questioning our common interpretation of the self, “Self under self, a pile of selves I stand/ Threaded on time, and with metaphysics hand” MacCaig realizes that the self cannot be quantified as an independently existing entity that we take for granted, but is instead a function of time and metaphysics, the me of today, might not be the me of tomorrow , it might not even be the me of yesterday, then he asks what is this “me” is it something really or just a brush stroke on the painting of the universe stroked by “metaphysics hand”. This line is so effective at evoking deep and meaningful thought just like continuum because of the use of language that provokes and intrigues the reader, such as, “metaphysics hand”, “pile of selves” and “threaded on time” in which the sound of the “t’s” blend together along with the surreal meaning of threading time like beads on a string.
The poet resolves these deeply disturbing question about the subject of the self by thoroughly confusing the issue, in the line, ‘Lift the farm like a lid and see/ Farm within farm, and in the center, me”. These lines make the mind quiver and quake, as our brains try and wrap all the logic and rational thought we have learnt in our lifetime in order to decipher them. We slowly realize that in order to truly understand these lines we have to let go of all reason and logic, which has served us so well in the past because these lines questions the very fundamentals of our reality and more importantly our perception of it. MacCaig has implied that our entire universe can be lifted away in order to reveal but another universe and this too can be removed just like a set of Russian dolls. Like the self that is compiled of an infinite number of selves MacCaig claims that our reality too is just a collection of infinite realities and what we take for granted so easily is actually infinitely complicated. The last poignant line of this poem are the most earth shattering, this is where all our thought and deep philosophy has led us, the final answer, the bottom of the seemingly bottomless well in the exploration to uncover the essence of the self; Only when we can understand and peel back the infinite complexities of our realities and selves and our perceptions then right “in the center” lies “me” – the self…
Continuum begins by providing a description of the motion of the moon according to the poet’s perception as, “The moon rolls over the roof and falls behind/ my house, and the moon does neither of these things,/ I am talking about myself.”. Curnow begins the poem with this powerful and pertinent line about perception and the divide between an empiricist’s mind and a poetic mind, this divide is taking place inside the writer’s own head and reflects the philosophical divide in our perception of reality. We can either view the moon as a great ball rolling over the roof as our eyes and instinct seem to tell us, or we can cloud our true perception by taking into consideration scientific knowledge of the moon and thus dismiss our earlier observation as merely a trivially mental game, as it “does neither of these things”. Curnow hints at a deeper exploration of the self by adding the line, “I am talking about myself” to stand-alone and be emphasized. Instantly my mind highlights this line and I am intrigued by what he is trying to communicate, maybe perception is entirely dependant on the perceiver and so all Curnow really has to do is talk about “himself” in order to describe his perception in entirety.
This room for thought and the space for deeper meaning, is created by the beautiful and almost mystical language Curnow uses throughout the poem. An example of this can be seen in the line, “palms into the washed-out creation”. Here a surreal and almost mystical image is created by the use of the words, “washed out” and “creation” the description of reality as a dreary watered down painting is highly effective and evocative due to the eerie images it produces. This line comes from the poetic side of the author and it is the philosopher who is speaking now. The use of such lyrical language suggests that everyday scenes can be viewed as beautiful acts of god through the eyes of a poet. Maybe such perception is as important as a factual and knowledge based view of the universe, as it provides the soul, or the entire man, with a deep and primal view of reality.
This line follows into the empiricist’s point of view as the factual mind of the author kicks in, “a dark place with two particular/ bright clouds dusted (query) by the moon”. The empiricist mind stuck within the poet {or the poet stuck within the empiricist – who’s to judge) is reflected in the use of very specific scientific language such as “particular”, “bright”, “query”. All these words indicate keen scientific observation without the presence of imagination. Even when the poet attempts to introduce a bit of a lyrical aspect, with the word dusted, the empiricist quickly knocks him down by questioning his use of the word by providing a “query” because that mind cannot understand perception on a deeper level. This hints at basic conflict between the two selves of the author and how the empiricist restricts the freedom of thought in the poet, with his factual knowledge and scientific understanding.
The poet refers to the need for the deeper exploration of the self in the lines “it’s not possible to get off to sleep”. Obviously the nagging anxiety and will for the poet within the man to be allowed to roam free and question reality, perception and the self is discomforting the whole man because the empiricist quails at the idea. This serves to further emphasize the conflict and turmoil that is taking place between the two selves of the author.
The most powerful lines in the poem sums up this conflict in the writer’s mind between the poet-philosopher and the empiricist, “Turn on a bare/ heel, close the door behind/ on the author, cringing demiurge, who picks up his litter and his tools and paces me back to bed, stealthily in step”. Here is a deeply metaphorical line that reveals the multiple states of mind that lie, conflicting within the author’s existence, both sides allow him to perceive reality in different ways but these two sides do not seem to be compatible, the entire man observes this conflict. He attempts to turn the poet away because the overbearing empiricist wants to turn his back on the poet and shut him off, because he fears what he cannot understand and what threatens to destabilize his way of thinking. There is the idea though that the entire man cannot truly get rid of the poet because he is an integral part of the whole self, of the soul and thus cannot be fully abandoned and instead, “paces me back to bed, stealthily in step”. The soft sneaking “s” sound in “stealthily” and “step” emphasized the idea of the poet slipping quietly back into a crevice of the mind of the self, unwanted but always needed.
Summer farm is another poem in which the author delves deep into the exploration of the self as Norman MacCaig tries to analyze what exactly the self as an entity is. As in continuum the poet does delve into the perception of reality. In this case though instead of being in two different minds about the perception of his reality, MacCaig encourages himself to break free of the usual mundane understanding of the world around him, there is very little inhibition from the empiricist within him since MacCaig is attempting to deeply question the true understanding of what the self is.
He begins to do this by firstly freeing his mind of its walls and inhibitions, “This grasshopper with plated face/ Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space.”, The use of the words, “plated face” refers to the mask we all wear , which restricts our view of the true nature of the universe and thus defines our perception. MacCaig goes on to tear apart this idea with the metaphor of the grasshopper unfurling itself and launching into “space”. This could be the space within one’s own mind in which there is room for your perception to grow and break free of its plated bounds. The poet is gaining confidence and is ready to jump deep into the depths of exploring himself.
The most powerful lines of this poem sums up the poets search for himself, even though his discovery is inconclusive it hints at a vastly fascinating attitude of questioning our common interpretation of the self, “Self under self, a pile of selves I stand/ Threaded on time, and with metaphysics hand” MacCaig realizes that the self cannot be quantified as an independently existing entity that we take for granted, but is instead a function of time and metaphysics, the me of today, might not be the me of tomorrow , it might not even be the me of yesterday, then he asks what is this “me” is it something really or just a brush stroke on the painting of the universe stroked by “metaphysics hand”. This line is so effective at evoking deep and meaningful thought just like continuum because of the use of language that provokes and intrigues the reader, such as, “metaphysics hand”, “pile of selves” and “threaded on time” in which the sound of the “t’s” blend together along with the surreal meaning of threading time like beads on a string.
The poet resolves these deeply disturbing question about the subject of the self by thoroughly confusing the issue, in the line, ‘Lift the farm like a lid and see/ Farm within farm, and in the center, me”. These lines make the mind quiver and quake, as our brains try and wrap all the logic and rational thought we have learnt in our lifetime in order to decipher them. We slowly realize that in order to truly understand these lines we have to let go of all reason and logic, which has served us so well in the past because these lines questions the very fundamentals of our reality and more importantly our perception of it. MacCaig has implied that our entire universe can be lifted away in order to reveal but another universe and this too can be removed just like a set of Russian dolls. Like the self that is compiled of an infinite number of selves MacCaig claims that our reality too is just a collection of infinite realities and what we take for granted so easily is actually infinitely complicated. The last poignant line of this poem are the most earth shattering, this is where all our thought and deep philosophy has led us, the final answer, the bottom of the seemingly bottomless well in the exploration to uncover the essence of the self; Only when we can understand and peel back the infinite complexities of our realities and selves and our perceptions then right “in the center” lies “me” – the self…
city planners
The city planners by Margaret Attwood, and the planner by boy Kim chen both have the same focus namely their criticism of dictated lifestyles and restricted living in the form of tightly planned and controlled cities. Attwood’ poem is written about a planned city which hasn’t been inhabited yet, while Chen refers to a functioning city, probably Singapore which is stifling him. These are actually the smaller differences when dealing with these two poems. Even though they deal with the same topic and share similar ideas, they differ vastly in their thematic and stylistic approaches in bringing out their views. Atwood’s mastery of language is clearly evident in her use of combining verbs and nouns together to create deep insightful new meanings, Boy on the other hand does have deep ideas but these are unfortunately not conveyed and expressed as well as they could be, leading to convoluted meanings and seemingly simplistic metaphors
Boy starts off his poem rather well, with a powerful mechanical feel emphasized by his use of sound in the line “They plan. They build. All spaces gridded / filled with permutations of possibilities.” Here the pounding effects of the short sentences and hard consonants in the words “permutations” and “possibilities” create a mechanical automated harsh feeling of cold artificial distance. His use of sound creates the effect of an almost military regime crushing, pounding the civilian population back into place. The rigorous feel of a completely planned environment is evident through though line, “ the buildings are in alignment with the roads / which meet at desired points”. This outlines his feelings about planned cities and their restriction on freedom. Unfortunately this strong clear starting stand is convoluted in the following line, “ grace of mathematics”. This is a beautiful and a stylistically accomplished line due to the personification of mathematics as a dancer. Unfortunately this conveys a beautiful pleasant image, which contradicts the harsh criticism he wishes to deal out. Following this Boy includes a very clichéd description, “the sea draws back / and the skies surrender”. He is trying to convey nature’s opposition to the work of man and its ever-growing cities and artificial environments. The alliteration of the ‘s’s in “sea”, “draws”, “skies” and “surrender” are effective, due to the vivid stormy imagery they create, but these lines seem out of place here and not very original. By shifting the focus from the restriction of freedom created by a planned city, to the mathematical beauty of its structure, to the suffering of nature, serves only to confuse the reader and is therefore an ineffective way of conveying his ideas.
Boy then draws upon an elaborate dentist metaphor to capture what it is like to live in a planned city, “dental dexterity”. Though the descriptions of this metaphor are effective in parts, the very thematic concept of capturing the feeling of oppression by comparing it to a visit to the dentist’s office seems rather simplistic in its outlook and scope. Only the very basic of human emotions, namely discomfort and fear are conveyed by the use of such a metaphor, this leaves out the possibility of touching upon deeper issues and a more insightful description of the state of a populations morale in a planned city. Boy does manage to convey the brainwashing that happens in a planned city, “ Anesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis / They have the means, They have it all so it will not hurt”. Here we get a feel of how the government can quell the populations ability to think for themselves and how, “the country wears perfect rows / of shining teeth” due to the order and efficient functioning of a planned city. These are valid and deep ideas, especially Boy’s reference to “history is new again”, where he conveys the government capability to create their own history for a city because it doesn’t have a soul anymore and cannot create its own history. The problem lies instead in his expression of these ideas namely the dentist theme and later on the need to sound overly poetic leading to a completely overcomplicated stanza, “ but my heart would not bleed / Poetry. Not a single drop / To stain the blue print of our past’s tomorrow.” The metaphorical comparison of blood and poetry is effective in the vivid visual and associative imagery it creates, but the phrase “past’s tomorrow” is totally uncalled for and ruins any effect left over from the previous line. Boy wishes to convey the idea that his ability to create poetry has been taken away from him by the tyranny and oppression of his planned and sterile environment. One would think, that such an environment would actually inspire a poet to fight back and open his heart to a flood of poetry, but then again maybe its too difficult to budge the concrete blueprint “of our past’s tomorrow”.
Margaret Atwood on the other hand, has a slightly different stylistic approach to the same theme. She doesn’t rely on a few simple all encompassing metaphors but spreads her ideas out across a number of interesting and thought provoking examples of language. Her poem starts off with one such example, “ cruising these residential Sunday streets in dry August sunlight;” the phrase “residential Sunday” conveys the fascinating idea of Sunday residing in the “dry Autumn sunlight” which is another beautiful use of language. The personification of Sunday and the dreary description of dryness helps to set the scene for her criticism of planned cities and the boredom and stagnation they create. This dreary description of the planned city is continued with the phrases “pedantic rows” {which creates the image of a row of well disciplined students whose freedom have been restricted}, “sanitary trees” {which creates the image of neatly ordered and sterile nature, a binary opposition because nature should be wild and free} “discouraged grass” {an effective personification of grass, suggesting that even the lawns cant tolerate this sort of philosophical oppression}, “rational whine” {a very interesting combination of words, whines are usually the product of uncontrolled or overflowing emotions not rational thought, another effective binary opposition.}, “straight swath” {the alliteration here emphasizes the incongruity the two words as a swath is associated with a long curved sweeping gesture, definitely not something straight} and “assert levelness” {another unsettling binary opposition as levelness is usually associated with bland indifference and definitely not with assertiveness}. The combination of the depressing, sterile, heavy and monotonous effect creating by the meaning, sound and personification of these phrases along with the interesting choice and combination of words which serves to unsettle the reader by creating a sense of incongruity through binary opposition, all serves to suggest that something is naggingly and deeply wrong with the environment of the planned city.
This extremely stylized and unique use of language to convey her message is continued in the next stanza where we encounter phrases such as “sidestep hysteria” and “plastic hose poised in a vicious coil”. The line “sidestep hysterias” is a sarcastic reference to the neatly ordered driveways, which are too neat and ordinary. The kinetic imagery and personification of something abstract such as hysteria sidestepping makes this descriptive phrase effective, memorable and above all original which is a questionable characteristic in Boy Chen’s poem. The line description of a “vicious coil” creates powerful imagery associated with serpents. Something as naturally mundane as a plastic hose seems threatening in these uncanny, and unnaturally artificial surrounding.
Atwood introduces an interesting theme in the next stanza, which is similar to Boy’s but conveyed in a more original manner. This theme describes nature reclaiming the land the city has taken from it and turned into an artificial and unnatural environment, “ when the houses, capsized, will slide / obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers/ that right now nobody notices.” The vivid image of houses capsizing into “clay seas” is unique and effective and the sea metaphor here is conveyed with flair of originality. The unusual combination of water, something fluid and dynamic to clay something cloying and sticky [like the cloistering environment of the city] is extremely effective.
Finally Atwood’s poem is concluded by the reference to the city planners and their twisted ideals along with a beautiful parting line. The description of the city planners as being” concealed in his own private blizzard” clearly conveys what Atwood feels about the city planners ignorance towards the restrictive and cloistering environment they are creating. The phrase “private blizzard” is what adds the far-reaching effect to this line as Atwood clearly conveys her views about the policies of the city planners. The last line of her poem is supremely effective, “ tracing the panic of suburb / order in a bland madness of snows”. The blizzard metaphor is continued here and is another indication of Atwood’s vivid image based style. The binary oppositions of “panic of suburb order” and “bland madness” is a further continuation of the unique and startling style she has used throughout the poem, in order to convey her views by shocking and unsettling the reader by combing words, ideas and phrases which would normally clash with each other; they still do but they have gained a colorful, memorable and original effect in this poem as well.
In conclusion, though both poems share the same purpose of criticizing the idea of planned cities, they do so in vastly differing stylistic and thematic manners. This leads to a difference in the effectiveness of both poems. Boy’s poem has some good ideas, which challenge the idea of a planned city, but these are hampered by his lack of clear expression as well as overly generic themes {dentist metaphor}. Atwood on the other spreads her views against planned cities across a wider variety of power packed linguistic expression in the form of short gripping phrases, which serve to provoke and unsettle the reader thus leading to a much more effective expression of her views on planned cities.
Boy starts off his poem rather well, with a powerful mechanical feel emphasized by his use of sound in the line “They plan. They build. All spaces gridded / filled with permutations of possibilities.” Here the pounding effects of the short sentences and hard consonants in the words “permutations” and “possibilities” create a mechanical automated harsh feeling of cold artificial distance. His use of sound creates the effect of an almost military regime crushing, pounding the civilian population back into place. The rigorous feel of a completely planned environment is evident through though line, “ the buildings are in alignment with the roads / which meet at desired points”. This outlines his feelings about planned cities and their restriction on freedom. Unfortunately this strong clear starting stand is convoluted in the following line, “ grace of mathematics”. This is a beautiful and a stylistically accomplished line due to the personification of mathematics as a dancer. Unfortunately this conveys a beautiful pleasant image, which contradicts the harsh criticism he wishes to deal out. Following this Boy includes a very clichéd description, “the sea draws back / and the skies surrender”. He is trying to convey nature’s opposition to the work of man and its ever-growing cities and artificial environments. The alliteration of the ‘s’s in “sea”, “draws”, “skies” and “surrender” are effective, due to the vivid stormy imagery they create, but these lines seem out of place here and not very original. By shifting the focus from the restriction of freedom created by a planned city, to the mathematical beauty of its structure, to the suffering of nature, serves only to confuse the reader and is therefore an ineffective way of conveying his ideas.
Boy then draws upon an elaborate dentist metaphor to capture what it is like to live in a planned city, “dental dexterity”. Though the descriptions of this metaphor are effective in parts, the very thematic concept of capturing the feeling of oppression by comparing it to a visit to the dentist’s office seems rather simplistic in its outlook and scope. Only the very basic of human emotions, namely discomfort and fear are conveyed by the use of such a metaphor, this leaves out the possibility of touching upon deeper issues and a more insightful description of the state of a populations morale in a planned city. Boy does manage to convey the brainwashing that happens in a planned city, “ Anesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis / They have the means, They have it all so it will not hurt”. Here we get a feel of how the government can quell the populations ability to think for themselves and how, “the country wears perfect rows / of shining teeth” due to the order and efficient functioning of a planned city. These are valid and deep ideas, especially Boy’s reference to “history is new again”, where he conveys the government capability to create their own history for a city because it doesn’t have a soul anymore and cannot create its own history. The problem lies instead in his expression of these ideas namely the dentist theme and later on the need to sound overly poetic leading to a completely overcomplicated stanza, “ but my heart would not bleed / Poetry. Not a single drop / To stain the blue print of our past’s tomorrow.” The metaphorical comparison of blood and poetry is effective in the vivid visual and associative imagery it creates, but the phrase “past’s tomorrow” is totally uncalled for and ruins any effect left over from the previous line. Boy wishes to convey the idea that his ability to create poetry has been taken away from him by the tyranny and oppression of his planned and sterile environment. One would think, that such an environment would actually inspire a poet to fight back and open his heart to a flood of poetry, but then again maybe its too difficult to budge the concrete blueprint “of our past’s tomorrow”.
Margaret Atwood on the other hand, has a slightly different stylistic approach to the same theme. She doesn’t rely on a few simple all encompassing metaphors but spreads her ideas out across a number of interesting and thought provoking examples of language. Her poem starts off with one such example, “ cruising these residential Sunday streets in dry August sunlight;” the phrase “residential Sunday” conveys the fascinating idea of Sunday residing in the “dry Autumn sunlight” which is another beautiful use of language. The personification of Sunday and the dreary description of dryness helps to set the scene for her criticism of planned cities and the boredom and stagnation they create. This dreary description of the planned city is continued with the phrases “pedantic rows” {which creates the image of a row of well disciplined students whose freedom have been restricted}, “sanitary trees” {which creates the image of neatly ordered and sterile nature, a binary opposition because nature should be wild and free} “discouraged grass” {an effective personification of grass, suggesting that even the lawns cant tolerate this sort of philosophical oppression}, “rational whine” {a very interesting combination of words, whines are usually the product of uncontrolled or overflowing emotions not rational thought, another effective binary opposition.}, “straight swath” {the alliteration here emphasizes the incongruity the two words as a swath is associated with a long curved sweeping gesture, definitely not something straight} and “assert levelness” {another unsettling binary opposition as levelness is usually associated with bland indifference and definitely not with assertiveness}. The combination of the depressing, sterile, heavy and monotonous effect creating by the meaning, sound and personification of these phrases along with the interesting choice and combination of words which serves to unsettle the reader by creating a sense of incongruity through binary opposition, all serves to suggest that something is naggingly and deeply wrong with the environment of the planned city.
This extremely stylized and unique use of language to convey her message is continued in the next stanza where we encounter phrases such as “sidestep hysteria” and “plastic hose poised in a vicious coil”. The line “sidestep hysterias” is a sarcastic reference to the neatly ordered driveways, which are too neat and ordinary. The kinetic imagery and personification of something abstract such as hysteria sidestepping makes this descriptive phrase effective, memorable and above all original which is a questionable characteristic in Boy Chen’s poem. The line description of a “vicious coil” creates powerful imagery associated with serpents. Something as naturally mundane as a plastic hose seems threatening in these uncanny, and unnaturally artificial surrounding.
Atwood introduces an interesting theme in the next stanza, which is similar to Boy’s but conveyed in a more original manner. This theme describes nature reclaiming the land the city has taken from it and turned into an artificial and unnatural environment, “ when the houses, capsized, will slide / obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers/ that right now nobody notices.” The vivid image of houses capsizing into “clay seas” is unique and effective and the sea metaphor here is conveyed with flair of originality. The unusual combination of water, something fluid and dynamic to clay something cloying and sticky [like the cloistering environment of the city] is extremely effective.
Finally Atwood’s poem is concluded by the reference to the city planners and their twisted ideals along with a beautiful parting line. The description of the city planners as being” concealed in his own private blizzard” clearly conveys what Atwood feels about the city planners ignorance towards the restrictive and cloistering environment they are creating. The phrase “private blizzard” is what adds the far-reaching effect to this line as Atwood clearly conveys her views about the policies of the city planners. The last line of her poem is supremely effective, “ tracing the panic of suburb / order in a bland madness of snows”. The blizzard metaphor is continued here and is another indication of Atwood’s vivid image based style. The binary oppositions of “panic of suburb order” and “bland madness” is a further continuation of the unique and startling style she has used throughout the poem, in order to convey her views by shocking and unsettling the reader by combing words, ideas and phrases which would normally clash with each other; they still do but they have gained a colorful, memorable and original effect in this poem as well.
In conclusion, though both poems share the same purpose of criticizing the idea of planned cities, they do so in vastly differing stylistic and thematic manners. This leads to a difference in the effectiveness of both poems. Boy’s poem has some good ideas, which challenge the idea of a planned city, but these are hampered by his lack of clear expression as well as overly generic themes {dentist metaphor}. Atwood on the other spreads her views against planned cities across a wider variety of power packed linguistic expression in the form of short gripping phrases, which serve to provoke and unsettle the reader thus leading to a much more effective expression of her views on planned cities.
Compare the bay and he never expected much as studies in pessimism that stem from different causes, one that is internal and one that is external
The poets both explore ideas dealing with pessimism but from two very different angles, which reflect their view on life. Baxter seems to regret any happiness that he had when he was a child because now after he has lost everything, those memories are so difficult to deal with, that he would have preferred not ever experiencing them. This shows a very negative; regret filled pessimism something Baxter can be never be at peace with because it is an internal pessimism eating away at him. Hardy on the other hand has a relatively more positive form of pessimism that is external; hardship which life has inflicted on him and suffering that he has accepted because he was always prepared for it since he was a child.
Baxter starts by providing a seemingly beautiful description of his childhood, “On the road to the bay was a lake of rushes”. This is a positive and uplifting beginning with words such as, “rushes”, “lake” and “bay” creating a scenic calming image of a water body amidst beautiful surroundings and maybe a soft breeze, but there is also a sense of foreboding created here. “The lake of rushes” represents a diversion on the road to the “bay” which is the real goal. These diversions in life can turn out for the worse as the following ominous language seems to suggest, by expressing his experience of life; something that started of with hope and happiness but quickly turned dark and hopeless as he forgot his roots and what had nurtured him, “how many roads we take that lead to nowhere”. This line creates the idea that forgetting your goals or your roots can result in dead ends and suffering. Language such as, “alley overgrown”,“loss”, “not that veritable garden where everything comes easy,” emphasizes this idea of the grief and suffering that can result from treading off your path. The phrase, “alley overgrown” creates an ominous image of a dark dangerous alley, where things have grown out of control and the weeds have taken control.
In the next stanza Baxter relives and remembers his childhood almost affectionately, but again dark and ominous signs loom up in the language, as if there is a great disaster waiting to happen. Something that Baxter was unable to see at that time and now regrets his ignorance about it. This can be seen in his use of, “growing cold in amber water”, he didn’t know it at the time but all this beauty around him was something that could not last forever and something that he would forsake and later on regret forgetting. The binary opposition of “cold” and “amber” helps increase this sense of queasiness and uncertainty as the two words don’t fit together properly due to the conflicting images of cold and warmth they create. This horrifying idea of letting go of his roots and happiness manifests itself in the form of the terrible, “taniwha” sea monster, which creates a terrifying image in my mind, because it is an evil I cannot picture or relate to in my head, making it seem even more mysterious and dangerous.
Throughout the poem references are constantly made towards Maori cultue, which was a part of Baxter’s background. All his happiness seems to be related to that ancient culture and part of his pessimism stems from losing it all and doing nothing to stop that loss. His love for the Maori culture can be seen in, “cliff with carved names’ which has a historical almost mythical air of epic legend being “carved” on the scrolls of time, and “Maori ovens” which spikes my curiosity as to this long lost way of life. The most enjoyable times of his life seemed to have been spent in the beautiful “autumnal shallows besides the “pumice creek banks”, all showing me the great love he had for his culture and roots because of the beautiful descriptive imagery and language used.
Looking back Baxter now wishes that he had been more aware of what life had in store for him. He regrets the fact that nothing had prepared him for the suffering he would have to endure later on because of forgetting his roots. These warning signs, which he missed, can be seen in, “so now I remember the bay and the little spiders on drift wood, so poisonous and quick” the use of the words “spiders” poisonous and quick creates a uncertain feeling of danger due to the deathly ideas associated with them. Baxter now realizes that there were signs even when everything seemed perfect, warning him about the future, signs, which he missed out on.
Baxters final resigned and desperate internal pessimism can be seen in his wish to never have lived through those beautiful memories, because now the very thought of what he has lost and forsaken is enough to destroy him, “a thousand times an hour is torn across and burned for the sake of going on living”. This is a very powerful line showing the extent of his internal pessimism about his present condition of life and his views on the past. His memories are related to sheets of paper being, “torn” and burnt in order to allow himself to, “go on living” the past is too much for him to handle, what he has lost. The harsh sound of the “r" in, “torn” “across” and “burned” helps to emphasize this, misery along with the huge number, “a thousand times” to show the extent of his suffering.
Baxter’s resignation to this fate and his final pessimism can be seen in the line, “but I remember the bay that never was and stand like a stone and cannot turn away”. The simile “like a stone” shows me how horrifying his past memories are because he misses them so desperately and regrets losing what he had. He is so mortified and pessimistic about his current situation that “he can not turn away” and wishes that his childhood had never happened because he wouldn’t be able to long for it or deal with losing his roots in the “bay that never was”. This show me a deep-seated internal pessimism so corrupting that Baxter wants to forget the happiest moments of his life in order to stop the torment that his burning in his soul.
He never expected much, on the other hand, doesn’t deal with such a destructive internal pessimism but explores a pessimistic attitude that has been created by the world around the author, something he had always expected and has learned to accept and can thus be at peace with.
Hardy shows that he expected life to be difficult by saying, “never I own expected I that life would all be fair” ever “since as a child”. He was prepared from is childhood for life to be cruel and this seems like an unusual trait or line of reasoning for a child to posses, indicating a deep-rooted pessimism. This pessimism is not external as life around him has “kept faith with him” and “proved to be much as you said you were”. Unlike in Baxter’s case Hardy has had no nasty surprises and torment because he has been prepared for it all along. He hasn’t been caught of guard and thus he regrets and resents nothing. He is almost at peace with his situation because life hasn’t promised “overmuch” to him and therefore cannot leave him pinning for more.
The sustained pessimistic view Hardy has had on life can be seen in the word “neutral-tinted haps”. He doesn’t think much of all the occurrences in his life they have come and gone as bland and “neutral” as he had always expected the to be. The use of “tinted” helps to create an image of faded sunglasses or fading stained glass windows in a church, thus it is a powerful description, which effectively portrays his constant pessimistic view on life as an external occurrence he was always prepared for.
Hardy accepts the one immutable truth that at the end of the day even after all you have achieved and done and suffered through you will end up dead anyway, “ while some have shown contempt of me / till they dropped underground”. Here Hardy explores how there are highs and lows in life and how meaningless they really are. He shows us how the triumphs and losses of life have a vital pyrrhic quality. How at the end of the day, at the end of your life the triumphs and failures are meaningless when faced with the ultimate end where a man and even his memory must die.
Hardy enters a deeper exploration of the calm realization he has had concerning the tragedy of life by emulating his thoughts and feelings in the line; “Many with smooth serenity” Here Hardy mirrors the feeling and texture of his thoughts and ruminations on the subject of the misery of life. He demonstrates how one can be aware of a truth that could destroy an individual yet remain calm and collected. How an epiphany of this magnitude does not entail the destruction of an individual but rather a calm contribution to that individual’s character and perceptions.
In conclusion, Baxter’s internal pessimism which stems from the loss of his roots and his lack of readiness for the suffering life had in store for him, seems to be much more severe in its effects than Hardy’s external pessimism. Hardy was prepared for all the hardship life could throw at him, thus he could be at peace with his pessimism as something inevitable that life would deal to him in any situation or set of circumstance.
Baxter starts by providing a seemingly beautiful description of his childhood, “On the road to the bay was a lake of rushes”. This is a positive and uplifting beginning with words such as, “rushes”, “lake” and “bay” creating a scenic calming image of a water body amidst beautiful surroundings and maybe a soft breeze, but there is also a sense of foreboding created here. “The lake of rushes” represents a diversion on the road to the “bay” which is the real goal. These diversions in life can turn out for the worse as the following ominous language seems to suggest, by expressing his experience of life; something that started of with hope and happiness but quickly turned dark and hopeless as he forgot his roots and what had nurtured him, “how many roads we take that lead to nowhere”. This line creates the idea that forgetting your goals or your roots can result in dead ends and suffering. Language such as, “alley overgrown”,“loss”, “not that veritable garden where everything comes easy,” emphasizes this idea of the grief and suffering that can result from treading off your path. The phrase, “alley overgrown” creates an ominous image of a dark dangerous alley, where things have grown out of control and the weeds have taken control.
In the next stanza Baxter relives and remembers his childhood almost affectionately, but again dark and ominous signs loom up in the language, as if there is a great disaster waiting to happen. Something that Baxter was unable to see at that time and now regrets his ignorance about it. This can be seen in his use of, “growing cold in amber water”, he didn’t know it at the time but all this beauty around him was something that could not last forever and something that he would forsake and later on regret forgetting. The binary opposition of “cold” and “amber” helps increase this sense of queasiness and uncertainty as the two words don’t fit together properly due to the conflicting images of cold and warmth they create. This horrifying idea of letting go of his roots and happiness manifests itself in the form of the terrible, “taniwha” sea monster, which creates a terrifying image in my mind, because it is an evil I cannot picture or relate to in my head, making it seem even more mysterious and dangerous.
Throughout the poem references are constantly made towards Maori cultue, which was a part of Baxter’s background. All his happiness seems to be related to that ancient culture and part of his pessimism stems from losing it all and doing nothing to stop that loss. His love for the Maori culture can be seen in, “cliff with carved names’ which has a historical almost mythical air of epic legend being “carved” on the scrolls of time, and “Maori ovens” which spikes my curiosity as to this long lost way of life. The most enjoyable times of his life seemed to have been spent in the beautiful “autumnal shallows besides the “pumice creek banks”, all showing me the great love he had for his culture and roots because of the beautiful descriptive imagery and language used.
Looking back Baxter now wishes that he had been more aware of what life had in store for him. He regrets the fact that nothing had prepared him for the suffering he would have to endure later on because of forgetting his roots. These warning signs, which he missed, can be seen in, “so now I remember the bay and the little spiders on drift wood, so poisonous and quick” the use of the words “spiders” poisonous and quick creates a uncertain feeling of danger due to the deathly ideas associated with them. Baxter now realizes that there were signs even when everything seemed perfect, warning him about the future, signs, which he missed out on.
Baxters final resigned and desperate internal pessimism can be seen in his wish to never have lived through those beautiful memories, because now the very thought of what he has lost and forsaken is enough to destroy him, “a thousand times an hour is torn across and burned for the sake of going on living”. This is a very powerful line showing the extent of his internal pessimism about his present condition of life and his views on the past. His memories are related to sheets of paper being, “torn” and burnt in order to allow himself to, “go on living” the past is too much for him to handle, what he has lost. The harsh sound of the “r" in, “torn” “across” and “burned” helps to emphasize this, misery along with the huge number, “a thousand times” to show the extent of his suffering.
Baxter’s resignation to this fate and his final pessimism can be seen in the line, “but I remember the bay that never was and stand like a stone and cannot turn away”. The simile “like a stone” shows me how horrifying his past memories are because he misses them so desperately and regrets losing what he had. He is so mortified and pessimistic about his current situation that “he can not turn away” and wishes that his childhood had never happened because he wouldn’t be able to long for it or deal with losing his roots in the “bay that never was”. This show me a deep-seated internal pessimism so corrupting that Baxter wants to forget the happiest moments of his life in order to stop the torment that his burning in his soul.
He never expected much, on the other hand, doesn’t deal with such a destructive internal pessimism but explores a pessimistic attitude that has been created by the world around the author, something he had always expected and has learned to accept and can thus be at peace with.
Hardy shows that he expected life to be difficult by saying, “never I own expected I that life would all be fair” ever “since as a child”. He was prepared from is childhood for life to be cruel and this seems like an unusual trait or line of reasoning for a child to posses, indicating a deep-rooted pessimism. This pessimism is not external as life around him has “kept faith with him” and “proved to be much as you said you were”. Unlike in Baxter’s case Hardy has had no nasty surprises and torment because he has been prepared for it all along. He hasn’t been caught of guard and thus he regrets and resents nothing. He is almost at peace with his situation because life hasn’t promised “overmuch” to him and therefore cannot leave him pinning for more.
The sustained pessimistic view Hardy has had on life can be seen in the word “neutral-tinted haps”. He doesn’t think much of all the occurrences in his life they have come and gone as bland and “neutral” as he had always expected the to be. The use of “tinted” helps to create an image of faded sunglasses or fading stained glass windows in a church, thus it is a powerful description, which effectively portrays his constant pessimistic view on life as an external occurrence he was always prepared for.
Hardy accepts the one immutable truth that at the end of the day even after all you have achieved and done and suffered through you will end up dead anyway, “ while some have shown contempt of me / till they dropped underground”. Here Hardy explores how there are highs and lows in life and how meaningless they really are. He shows us how the triumphs and losses of life have a vital pyrrhic quality. How at the end of the day, at the end of your life the triumphs and failures are meaningless when faced with the ultimate end where a man and even his memory must die.
Hardy enters a deeper exploration of the calm realization he has had concerning the tragedy of life by emulating his thoughts and feelings in the line; “Many with smooth serenity” Here Hardy mirrors the feeling and texture of his thoughts and ruminations on the subject of the misery of life. He demonstrates how one can be aware of a truth that could destroy an individual yet remain calm and collected. How an epiphany of this magnitude does not entail the destruction of an individual but rather a calm contribution to that individual’s character and perceptions.
In conclusion, Baxter’s internal pessimism which stems from the loss of his roots and his lack of readiness for the suffering life had in store for him, seems to be much more severe in its effects than Hardy’s external pessimism. Hardy was prepared for all the hardship life could throw at him, thus he could be at peace with his pessimism as something inevitable that life would deal to him in any situation or set of circumstance.
Is the sonnet relevant as a form anymore?
The sonnet has redefined humanities understanding of poetry, it has struck a deep chord with our poetic soul and its effect on literature will not be forgotten soon. The great masters of the sonnet spun them with such skill that they could make the hearts of the bravest men quiver and bring them to tears. But the burning question we must ask ourselves now is whether the masters of this form have taken their secrets to the grave along with the sonnet, or whether this powerful form still has a life of its own.
Before a deep question like this can be answered, we must first try and understand what makes a sonnet such a powerful form of poetry, then analyse whether that poetic power is still relevant today. A sonnet is a poem with stanzas, 14 lines, any of several fixed verse or rhyme schemes {typically in rhymed iambic pentameter} and includes two parts. The first part the octave or the question being posed and the second part the sestat or the answer to the question. But, the true beauty of a sonnet doesn’t merely lie in its form and structure. Since a sonnet is such a short form of poetry every word and line must and can be used to pack a solid punch, in its meaning, language or sound. Words do not have to be wasted on creating or connecting a story; this gives the sonnet a distinct advantage in the concentration and quality of its content. Of course in order to wield this powerful advantage a poet must be able to place that monstrous amount of energy and soul into each line of the sonnet in order to take full advantage of its structure and strike a deep chord with the reader, as deep as the poet can push. Certain linguist tools have been developed in order to enable a poet to do just this. Due to their brief nature, sonnets can deal with abstract ideas and concepts with more prowess, their stunning impact is interesting as it also allows for certain ambiguity, paradox and thus space for thought making them thought provoking and gripping. The idea of stating a theme and then developing, expanding, contradicting or just merely playing with it is so effective because it ensures that the poet must delve deep into any theme he discusses and not just scratch at the surface, this in turn draws the reader as deep as the poet’s thought has dared to venture.
Even from this brief description of sonnets it is easy to see how fundamental they were in the development of poetry. Contemporary poetry has evolved from many of the concepts laid out by sonnets. Modern forms of poetry have carried forward the idea of abstracting, elaborating and questioning but all these concepts are rooted deep in the fundamentals of sonnets. Even if some do not find sonnets to be as relevant in today’s context as they were before, we must understand that many of the forms that are relevant, come from their foundations in the fundamental chemistry of sonnets that man kind has become addicted to. Everything from the incredible flow, beautiful language and compact {short and sweet} nature of the sonnet has appealed to humanity. In my opinion, contemporary poetry has borrowed many ideas from the sonnet form and has imbibed its appealing essence.
Understanding the evolution of something is one of the best ways to judge its merit, in any context. By analysing the forces that shaped it we can appreciate its refinement over the ages and understand its full value. Sonnets started off in the 14th century and the pioneer was an Italian scholar and poet Fransesco Petrarca. His sonnets also known as Italian sonnets started the concept of dividing the sonnet into two parts, an octet which started off with a problem or proposition, followed up with a sestet which provided a solution, these two parts had a clear break in between them known as a “volta” or turn usually around the ninth line. Even in more contemporary sonnets, which don’t follow this strict structure of having a “turn” there is still a perceptible changed in mood or tone that differentiates the two. This shows how indispensable a tool this precise and concise two-part system is. It is perfect for getting a point or idea across succinctly and powerfully. This is where one of the biggest strengths in the idea of a sonnet lies and why it can still be considered relevant today and even if it isn’t, why contemporary poetry has assimilated and imbibed this powerful structural tool. A complicated topic or question can be stated and then immediately addressed, this allows the poet to focus his attention on understanding the problem and solution instead of worrying about how to present them, thus the efficiency in handling a sonnets structure translates into more energy being poured into the essence of the concept the poet is trying to express.
After the period of the Italian sonnets, sonnets were introduced to England by Thomas Wyatt where they flourished under masters such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Michael Drayton, Samuel Daniel, Fulke Greville, William Drummond of Hawthornden, and many others in a new form called sonnet sequences which were a series of sonnets dealing with a specific theme. At this time sonnets were generally about love of a women but the exception was shakespeares sequence which dealt with many other themes such as morality and politics and is where a true master of the artform can be found. Shakespeares sonnets can be seen as an evoltion of the sonnet form, experimenting with numerous themes, they demonstrate the versitatlity of the idea of a sonnet and describe how sonnets can evolve and in the process form the base on which new types of poetry have evolved. In fact shakespeare sonnets where seen as a prototype of a new kind of “modern” love poetry. The success of this evolution of the sonnet form can be seen in the outstanding cross-cultural importance and influence of the sonnets. This is demonstrated by the large number of translations that have been made of them. There is no major written language into which the sonnets have not been translated, including Latin, Turkish, Japanese, Kiswahili and Esperanto. This indicates a very basic human primeveal human appreciation for this form of poetry.
The evolution of the sonnet does not stop here infact it accelerates even more rapidly indicating what a perfect blueprint the sonnet was , on which a variety of forms of poetry have evolved. The enduring nature of the sonnet can be seen during the restoration when even though sonnets were not written the resolute art bounced back under the careful handling of another great master, william wordsworth during the time of the french revolution. After this sonnets were written throughout the 19th century and poets such as Shelley and Hopkins spurred on the evolution of the sonnets by producing fascinating new works such as “Ozzymandias” and “Pied beauty”, which somewhat strayed from the original form but still could not help but retain the priceless essence of a sonnet. Infact , by the end of the 19th century the sonnet had evolved into a form of great flexibility and served as a base on which poetry of widely differing themes and styles could be compiled upon. Shortly after this with the advent of free verse, the sonnet reached its next hurdle as it was seen as somewhat old-fashioned and fell out of use for a time among some schools of poets. However, a number of 20th-century poets, including Wilfred Owen, John Berryman, Edwin Morgan, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, Joan Brossa, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Seamus Heaney, successfully rose to the challenge of reinvigorating the form. Finally the 21st century has seen a strong resurgence of the sonnet form, as there are many sonnets now appearing in print and on the Internet. On the internet we have seen the advent of hyper text sonnets which incorporate music , pictures and video into the sonnet form. Successful contemporary forms of sonnets include Vikram Seth’s “golden bridge”. Sonnets were used here to compose a novel, therefore setting it apart, which may account for its great popularity.
As you can see through the sonnets history it has gone through powerful changes which makes it still appeal to modern audiences, and the duarbility it has shown by retaining its fundamental essence is what merits recogniton. Even in its purest form a sonnet can still be appealing but the most amazing thing is that when it is modified to suit a particular purpose it still retains the feel of a sonnnet. That precise , packed and powerful essence which can express any feeling, idea or point effortlessly. Be it a shakespearean sonnet or a new age hyper text sonnet. The sonnet form still retains its indissolvable character and this property is what makes it so powerful. But like any powerful tool, it requires a skilled master to weild. Just like many masters in the past have revived the form I believe the sonnet can never run out of steam. When ever it lags , a new master will emerge and rejuvinate it, because the form itself is so enduring in the collective sub concious of humanity. The sonnet has been used for the basis for the evolution and creation of numerous poetic forms and in itself has undergone a steady evolution. But the winning formula at the heart of the sonnet has remained unchanged mainly because of its success and appeal which I believe will continue to be relevant as long as humanity has an ear for the art of language.
Quantifying this winning formula is another story altogether, the best way to do it is to analyse examples of sonnets, four of which I shall look at here. My aim is to identify exactly what it is that makes this form so beautiful and thus inescapably relevant not only in today’s context but any context for that matter. Some of these sonnets are modified versions of the original sonnet form and show how fresh ideas have rejuvenated the form.
An example of this modified sonnet is George Meredith’s “Modern Love”. The structure of the sonnet has been modified here, elongated from 14 to 16 lines. The description of a marriage falling apart is undeniable powerful and even though Meredith changes the structure of the sonnet slightly, many of the tools he uses such as metonymy, allegory and rich, packed language has originated from the idea of sonnets. An example of the powerful language is in the line “she wept with waking eyes”. The effect of the words “waking” and “wept” compacted together in the typically succinct sonnet style is extremely effective as it describes the complicated state of a deep sadness that pervades every part of a person’s soul, even as their mind barely blinks into consciousness, a sadness which stems from a place deep within them is there to greet them. This sadness is further detailed in “ strange low sobs… strangled mute, like little gasping snakes, dreadfully venomous to him.” The introduction of the serpent metaphor as a linguistic tool to get the message across powerfully and concisely is what a sonnet is all about. The first part of the sonnet has served to create a feeling of despair, which is almost tangible, and this has been achieved in such a short space, each word filled with meaning. To further solidify this marital despair, personification and allegories are used in “midnight makes / Her giant heart of Memory and Tears / Drink the pale drug of silence, and so beat Sleep’s heavy measure”. This line brings the ideas of “memory”, “tears”, “silence” and “sleep” literally to life. These abstract concepts become characters in a dramatic play inside our minds. Here the images and concepts grab our attention and the personification draws us into the sonnet, almost like we are one of the characters in this depressing play. The sonnet shows of its ability to include the reader and drawing him into the feelings being described, this is surely a powerful sonnet tool and outlines just how effect the sonnet form can be.
The sonnet is then drawn together beautifully and succinctly with the lines “ like sculptured effigies they might be seen / Upon the marriage-tomb, the sword between; / Each wishing for the sword that severs all. The imagery of the “sword” and “tomb” again makes the message powerful and clear, with the greatest economy of words. “sculptured effigies” not only refers to the doomed couple in a metaphorical manner, but also symbolises their eternal despair, two ideas packed into one phrase. It takes skilled precision on the writer’s part to do this, but remember the time tested blue prints of the sonnet are always there to help him. This is what makes the form so powerful, the framework and formula of compressing powerful poetry is what the sonnet is all about, and is what makes the sonnet so timeless. Even though this is a modified modern sonnet, the very fact that the writer makes copious use of the secrets of the sonnet form is what helps to make this poem so powerful. This clearly indicates the broad relevance of the sonnet form and how it ideas from it can be incorporated into newer poetry, because those ideas are so powerful and effective.
Another example where a sonnet has been slightly customised to suit the needs of the author can be seen in the sonnet, “On finding a small fly crushed in a book” by Charles Tennyson Turner. Here the break or turn and the rhyme scheme differs from contemporary sonnets in order to reflect the train of thoughts in the author’s mind and to create a more personal touch, as if he is reflecting about the crushed fly he finds in a book. But the beauty of the sonnet form is still evident and the tools associated with it can be seen clearly.
The poet has taken the simple concept of a fly crushed in a book and packed into that seemingly tiny description a whole host of philosophical questions. Here we have a relatively simple and summarised concept {live fly in book – book shuts – dead fly in book} being packed with powerful concepts. Approaching this sonnet in steps we see that the poet first sets up the description of the dead fly, “ But thou has left thine own fair monument, / thy wings gleam out and tell me what thou wert:”. The poet describes the dead fly in beautiful simplicity, “fair monument” and “wings gleam out”. He has superimposed the two ideas of permanence and impermanence into one phrase “fair monument”, even though the fly is merely mortal, its wings and smudge is immortal, the mark it has left behind still remains. The poet then goes onto describe the fly as it was still living, this is where the turn or Volta happens, and the order is effective, its almost like a flashback, “ pure relics of a blameless life, that shine”. The term “blameless life” is beautiful in its simplicity and indicates the innocence of the fly. Finally the poet drops his bombshell for which he has built his sonnet up in such a short space, “the closing book may stop our vital breath, / yet leave no lustre on our page of death”. The “closing book” here is a powerfully concise metaphor that encompasses death. The poet has managed to refer to the idea of the impermanence of an individual and the insignificance of his existence by using a simple book metaphor, “leave no lustre on our page of death”. We shall leave now mark behind like the fly did. This incredibly complex idea of impermanence is conveyed so powerfully by such simple means, the phrase “page of death” invokes so many different interpretations. This is what is meant by economy of words and is what the sonnet form encourages especially in the ironical couplet at the end, which is an integral part of sonnet structure. The structure of the sonnet has evolved and been designed to pack a powerful punch in the end.
Another sonnet, which conveys a powerful message with infinite simplicity and conciseness, is “Ozymandias”. Here the poet presents complex statements on the impermanence of power and the finite nature of tyranny when compared to the humble skill of craftsmen. Again the sonnet form is slightly modified away from the Shakespearean style in its rhyme, but the essence of the sonnet is still evident.
The sculpture found in the desert is used to convey these powerful ideas; again here we see the typical sonnet use of symbolism and representation in, “ half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, tell that its sculptor well those passions read / which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things/”. In true sonnet style the simple description of the destroyed sculpture is packed with meaning. Phrases such as “half sunk”, “shattered visage” and “lifeless things” indicate how the emperor’s mighty power has crumbled when faced with the sands of time {the desert setting is no mistake}. All his achievements have been forgotten and have “sunk” away, the life drained out of not only him but his legacy as well. On the other hand we see the humble craftsmen whose skill in statue carving “which yet survive’ even longer than the mighty emperors legacy. Indeed the emperor is all but forgotten, what catches our attention is the craftsman’s passion and skill in depicting the tyranny of the emperor through his “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold command”. The latter phrase is beautiful, the words “sneer”, “cold” and “command” feel and sound like they’ve been spat out of someone’s mouth in disgust and hatred. We can clearly tell that this emperor was not loved nor was his greatness immortal.
The poet has slightly modified the structure to actually enhance one of the properties of the sonnet form; the ironical couplet that is usually found at the end of a sonnet. This has been elongated to into three lines, two push the point home with even more vigour, “nothing besides remains. Round the decay / of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / the lone and level sands stretch far away.” These last lines leave a lasting image in our heads like a fadeout at the end of a touching and powerful movie. This allows time for reflection and thought about the ideas discussed in the sonnet. The last line, “ lone and level sands stretch away” actually stretches away in our minds as well, like the slow fadeout so we can reflect on the “decay” and “wreck” power has created along with the “bare” legacy it has left behind. The power packed essence of a sonnet has definitely been retained and the modification of this sonnet’s form has actually greatly enhanced it. This indicates that there is no harm in playing around with this type of poetry, due to its appealing essence and flexibility its perfect for experimenting with and adapting.
Finally the best example of the majesty of a sonnet can be seen from the hands of a true master, William Wordsworth. Yes, it takes mastery to create beautiful poetry, but writing using the sonnet form, or using ideas from the sonnet makes it a lot easier. Many of the tools Wordsworth uses to write this sonnet have been adapted and used in all the sonnets I have discussed before. In fact the essence of a sonnet is the same throughout all the poems and this probably aided their success. Simplicity reaches levels of perfection in this sonnet, Wordsworth has used the basic tools that have been created by the sonnet form, just like the other poets have done but the difference is the skill he has achieved with those tools. The opening line is simple and succinct and herein lies its beauty, “ earth has not anything to show more fair”, nothing on this earth can compare to the sight of London in the morning light, the language is short and simple but tremendously sweet in its compactness as well. Wordsworth then claims that this sight would touch anybody, thus, “dull would he be of soul who could pass by”, this line is beautifully phrased especially the term “dull of soul” which attributes a physical description to something as abstract as a soul, allowing the reader to actually engage with the concept and understand it fully.
Wordsworth then goes onto to literally bring London alive and give her form, “the city now doth like a garment wear / The beauty of the morning; silent, bare”. This personification helps create a tangible form we can relate to and in doing so makes his description simple and easy for us to access, and this is done with just a clever personification. The essence of London is dramatised and again the reader has been drawn onto the stage no longer a mere spectator but an actor himself, weaving and performing with the very poetry he is reading. The beautiful description of the setting following this, “ temples lie / open unto the fields, and to the sky; all bright and glittering in the smokeless air.”, creates an almost ethereal feeling. London by morning is given a tangible spiritual feeling with “ temples”, “glittering in the smokeless air”. This is not an easy atmosphere to create but Wordsworth has done it using the sonnet form in the least amount of words but with the greatest impact. Even the sun has been given a human face, “ never did sun more beautifully steep / in his first splendour, valley, rock or hill;”. Here again the economy of words can be seen, this sonnet economy certainly doesn’t detract from effect instead it adds great value to it. The sun as a character is certainly more inspiring then a long winding description and his “splendour” is now tangible, something the reader can interact with. The sonnet form has certainly been used to great effect and as a last parting blow Wordsworth exclaims, “all that mighty heart is lying still!”. The personification is carried out till the very end of the sonnet and this continued packing of ideas into a human form is vastly effective. The focus shifts to the centre, the very core the spring of life that is the “mighty heart” of this giant organism. In beautiful binary opposition, this massive throbbing organ is actually “lying still” perhaps awed by the beauty of the morning just at the reader is in awe of the beauty of this sonnet.
In conclusion I believe that the sonnet form is still relevant and will always be relevant. This does not necessarily mean that sonnet written two hundred years ago will look like a sonnet written today, modifications will be made and this is necessary for the evolution of any form of anything. The concepts and ideas and tools that have evolved alongside a sonnet, namely its compact nature, the use of allegories, powerful metaphors and personifications, the ending couplet, the basic question and answer format as well as the turn in between, will be utilised in the evolution of the form and the transformation of this forms into another forms, and the integration of these ideas into other forms as well.
Before a deep question like this can be answered, we must first try and understand what makes a sonnet such a powerful form of poetry, then analyse whether that poetic power is still relevant today. A sonnet is a poem with stanzas, 14 lines, any of several fixed verse or rhyme schemes {typically in rhymed iambic pentameter} and includes two parts. The first part the octave or the question being posed and the second part the sestat or the answer to the question. But, the true beauty of a sonnet doesn’t merely lie in its form and structure. Since a sonnet is such a short form of poetry every word and line must and can be used to pack a solid punch, in its meaning, language or sound. Words do not have to be wasted on creating or connecting a story; this gives the sonnet a distinct advantage in the concentration and quality of its content. Of course in order to wield this powerful advantage a poet must be able to place that monstrous amount of energy and soul into each line of the sonnet in order to take full advantage of its structure and strike a deep chord with the reader, as deep as the poet can push. Certain linguist tools have been developed in order to enable a poet to do just this. Due to their brief nature, sonnets can deal with abstract ideas and concepts with more prowess, their stunning impact is interesting as it also allows for certain ambiguity, paradox and thus space for thought making them thought provoking and gripping. The idea of stating a theme and then developing, expanding, contradicting or just merely playing with it is so effective because it ensures that the poet must delve deep into any theme he discusses and not just scratch at the surface, this in turn draws the reader as deep as the poet’s thought has dared to venture.
Even from this brief description of sonnets it is easy to see how fundamental they were in the development of poetry. Contemporary poetry has evolved from many of the concepts laid out by sonnets. Modern forms of poetry have carried forward the idea of abstracting, elaborating and questioning but all these concepts are rooted deep in the fundamentals of sonnets. Even if some do not find sonnets to be as relevant in today’s context as they were before, we must understand that many of the forms that are relevant, come from their foundations in the fundamental chemistry of sonnets that man kind has become addicted to. Everything from the incredible flow, beautiful language and compact {short and sweet} nature of the sonnet has appealed to humanity. In my opinion, contemporary poetry has borrowed many ideas from the sonnet form and has imbibed its appealing essence.
Understanding the evolution of something is one of the best ways to judge its merit, in any context. By analysing the forces that shaped it we can appreciate its refinement over the ages and understand its full value. Sonnets started off in the 14th century and the pioneer was an Italian scholar and poet Fransesco Petrarca. His sonnets also known as Italian sonnets started the concept of dividing the sonnet into two parts, an octet which started off with a problem or proposition, followed up with a sestet which provided a solution, these two parts had a clear break in between them known as a “volta” or turn usually around the ninth line. Even in more contemporary sonnets, which don’t follow this strict structure of having a “turn” there is still a perceptible changed in mood or tone that differentiates the two. This shows how indispensable a tool this precise and concise two-part system is. It is perfect for getting a point or idea across succinctly and powerfully. This is where one of the biggest strengths in the idea of a sonnet lies and why it can still be considered relevant today and even if it isn’t, why contemporary poetry has assimilated and imbibed this powerful structural tool. A complicated topic or question can be stated and then immediately addressed, this allows the poet to focus his attention on understanding the problem and solution instead of worrying about how to present them, thus the efficiency in handling a sonnets structure translates into more energy being poured into the essence of the concept the poet is trying to express.
After the period of the Italian sonnets, sonnets were introduced to England by Thomas Wyatt where they flourished under masters such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Michael Drayton, Samuel Daniel, Fulke Greville, William Drummond of Hawthornden, and many others in a new form called sonnet sequences which were a series of sonnets dealing with a specific theme. At this time sonnets were generally about love of a women but the exception was shakespeares sequence which dealt with many other themes such as morality and politics and is where a true master of the artform can be found. Shakespeares sonnets can be seen as an evoltion of the sonnet form, experimenting with numerous themes, they demonstrate the versitatlity of the idea of a sonnet and describe how sonnets can evolve and in the process form the base on which new types of poetry have evolved. In fact shakespeare sonnets where seen as a prototype of a new kind of “modern” love poetry. The success of this evolution of the sonnet form can be seen in the outstanding cross-cultural importance and influence of the sonnets. This is demonstrated by the large number of translations that have been made of them. There is no major written language into which the sonnets have not been translated, including Latin, Turkish, Japanese, Kiswahili and Esperanto. This indicates a very basic human primeveal human appreciation for this form of poetry.
The evolution of the sonnet does not stop here infact it accelerates even more rapidly indicating what a perfect blueprint the sonnet was , on which a variety of forms of poetry have evolved. The enduring nature of the sonnet can be seen during the restoration when even though sonnets were not written the resolute art bounced back under the careful handling of another great master, william wordsworth during the time of the french revolution. After this sonnets were written throughout the 19th century and poets such as Shelley and Hopkins spurred on the evolution of the sonnets by producing fascinating new works such as “Ozzymandias” and “Pied beauty”, which somewhat strayed from the original form but still could not help but retain the priceless essence of a sonnet. Infact , by the end of the 19th century the sonnet had evolved into a form of great flexibility and served as a base on which poetry of widely differing themes and styles could be compiled upon. Shortly after this with the advent of free verse, the sonnet reached its next hurdle as it was seen as somewhat old-fashioned and fell out of use for a time among some schools of poets. However, a number of 20th-century poets, including Wilfred Owen, John Berryman, Edwin Morgan, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, Joan Brossa, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Seamus Heaney, successfully rose to the challenge of reinvigorating the form. Finally the 21st century has seen a strong resurgence of the sonnet form, as there are many sonnets now appearing in print and on the Internet. On the internet we have seen the advent of hyper text sonnets which incorporate music , pictures and video into the sonnet form. Successful contemporary forms of sonnets include Vikram Seth’s “golden bridge”. Sonnets were used here to compose a novel, therefore setting it apart, which may account for its great popularity.
As you can see through the sonnets history it has gone through powerful changes which makes it still appeal to modern audiences, and the duarbility it has shown by retaining its fundamental essence is what merits recogniton. Even in its purest form a sonnet can still be appealing but the most amazing thing is that when it is modified to suit a particular purpose it still retains the feel of a sonnnet. That precise , packed and powerful essence which can express any feeling, idea or point effortlessly. Be it a shakespearean sonnet or a new age hyper text sonnet. The sonnet form still retains its indissolvable character and this property is what makes it so powerful. But like any powerful tool, it requires a skilled master to weild. Just like many masters in the past have revived the form I believe the sonnet can never run out of steam. When ever it lags , a new master will emerge and rejuvinate it, because the form itself is so enduring in the collective sub concious of humanity. The sonnet has been used for the basis for the evolution and creation of numerous poetic forms and in itself has undergone a steady evolution. But the winning formula at the heart of the sonnet has remained unchanged mainly because of its success and appeal which I believe will continue to be relevant as long as humanity has an ear for the art of language.
Quantifying this winning formula is another story altogether, the best way to do it is to analyse examples of sonnets, four of which I shall look at here. My aim is to identify exactly what it is that makes this form so beautiful and thus inescapably relevant not only in today’s context but any context for that matter. Some of these sonnets are modified versions of the original sonnet form and show how fresh ideas have rejuvenated the form.
An example of this modified sonnet is George Meredith’s “Modern Love”. The structure of the sonnet has been modified here, elongated from 14 to 16 lines. The description of a marriage falling apart is undeniable powerful and even though Meredith changes the structure of the sonnet slightly, many of the tools he uses such as metonymy, allegory and rich, packed language has originated from the idea of sonnets. An example of the powerful language is in the line “she wept with waking eyes”. The effect of the words “waking” and “wept” compacted together in the typically succinct sonnet style is extremely effective as it describes the complicated state of a deep sadness that pervades every part of a person’s soul, even as their mind barely blinks into consciousness, a sadness which stems from a place deep within them is there to greet them. This sadness is further detailed in “ strange low sobs… strangled mute, like little gasping snakes, dreadfully venomous to him.” The introduction of the serpent metaphor as a linguistic tool to get the message across powerfully and concisely is what a sonnet is all about. The first part of the sonnet has served to create a feeling of despair, which is almost tangible, and this has been achieved in such a short space, each word filled with meaning. To further solidify this marital despair, personification and allegories are used in “midnight makes / Her giant heart of Memory and Tears / Drink the pale drug of silence, and so beat Sleep’s heavy measure”. This line brings the ideas of “memory”, “tears”, “silence” and “sleep” literally to life. These abstract concepts become characters in a dramatic play inside our minds. Here the images and concepts grab our attention and the personification draws us into the sonnet, almost like we are one of the characters in this depressing play. The sonnet shows of its ability to include the reader and drawing him into the feelings being described, this is surely a powerful sonnet tool and outlines just how effect the sonnet form can be.
The sonnet is then drawn together beautifully and succinctly with the lines “ like sculptured effigies they might be seen / Upon the marriage-tomb, the sword between; / Each wishing for the sword that severs all. The imagery of the “sword” and “tomb” again makes the message powerful and clear, with the greatest economy of words. “sculptured effigies” not only refers to the doomed couple in a metaphorical manner, but also symbolises their eternal despair, two ideas packed into one phrase. It takes skilled precision on the writer’s part to do this, but remember the time tested blue prints of the sonnet are always there to help him. This is what makes the form so powerful, the framework and formula of compressing powerful poetry is what the sonnet is all about, and is what makes the sonnet so timeless. Even though this is a modified modern sonnet, the very fact that the writer makes copious use of the secrets of the sonnet form is what helps to make this poem so powerful. This clearly indicates the broad relevance of the sonnet form and how it ideas from it can be incorporated into newer poetry, because those ideas are so powerful and effective.
Another example where a sonnet has been slightly customised to suit the needs of the author can be seen in the sonnet, “On finding a small fly crushed in a book” by Charles Tennyson Turner. Here the break or turn and the rhyme scheme differs from contemporary sonnets in order to reflect the train of thoughts in the author’s mind and to create a more personal touch, as if he is reflecting about the crushed fly he finds in a book. But the beauty of the sonnet form is still evident and the tools associated with it can be seen clearly.
The poet has taken the simple concept of a fly crushed in a book and packed into that seemingly tiny description a whole host of philosophical questions. Here we have a relatively simple and summarised concept {live fly in book – book shuts – dead fly in book} being packed with powerful concepts. Approaching this sonnet in steps we see that the poet first sets up the description of the dead fly, “ But thou has left thine own fair monument, / thy wings gleam out and tell me what thou wert:”. The poet describes the dead fly in beautiful simplicity, “fair monument” and “wings gleam out”. He has superimposed the two ideas of permanence and impermanence into one phrase “fair monument”, even though the fly is merely mortal, its wings and smudge is immortal, the mark it has left behind still remains. The poet then goes onto describe the fly as it was still living, this is where the turn or Volta happens, and the order is effective, its almost like a flashback, “ pure relics of a blameless life, that shine”. The term “blameless life” is beautiful in its simplicity and indicates the innocence of the fly. Finally the poet drops his bombshell for which he has built his sonnet up in such a short space, “the closing book may stop our vital breath, / yet leave no lustre on our page of death”. The “closing book” here is a powerfully concise metaphor that encompasses death. The poet has managed to refer to the idea of the impermanence of an individual and the insignificance of his existence by using a simple book metaphor, “leave no lustre on our page of death”. We shall leave now mark behind like the fly did. This incredibly complex idea of impermanence is conveyed so powerfully by such simple means, the phrase “page of death” invokes so many different interpretations. This is what is meant by economy of words and is what the sonnet form encourages especially in the ironical couplet at the end, which is an integral part of sonnet structure. The structure of the sonnet has evolved and been designed to pack a powerful punch in the end.
Another sonnet, which conveys a powerful message with infinite simplicity and conciseness, is “Ozymandias”. Here the poet presents complex statements on the impermanence of power and the finite nature of tyranny when compared to the humble skill of craftsmen. Again the sonnet form is slightly modified away from the Shakespearean style in its rhyme, but the essence of the sonnet is still evident.
The sculpture found in the desert is used to convey these powerful ideas; again here we see the typical sonnet use of symbolism and representation in, “ half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, / And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, tell that its sculptor well those passions read / which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things/”. In true sonnet style the simple description of the destroyed sculpture is packed with meaning. Phrases such as “half sunk”, “shattered visage” and “lifeless things” indicate how the emperor’s mighty power has crumbled when faced with the sands of time {the desert setting is no mistake}. All his achievements have been forgotten and have “sunk” away, the life drained out of not only him but his legacy as well. On the other hand we see the humble craftsmen whose skill in statue carving “which yet survive’ even longer than the mighty emperors legacy. Indeed the emperor is all but forgotten, what catches our attention is the craftsman’s passion and skill in depicting the tyranny of the emperor through his “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold command”. The latter phrase is beautiful, the words “sneer”, “cold” and “command” feel and sound like they’ve been spat out of someone’s mouth in disgust and hatred. We can clearly tell that this emperor was not loved nor was his greatness immortal.
The poet has slightly modified the structure to actually enhance one of the properties of the sonnet form; the ironical couplet that is usually found at the end of a sonnet. This has been elongated to into three lines, two push the point home with even more vigour, “nothing besides remains. Round the decay / of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / the lone and level sands stretch far away.” These last lines leave a lasting image in our heads like a fadeout at the end of a touching and powerful movie. This allows time for reflection and thought about the ideas discussed in the sonnet. The last line, “ lone and level sands stretch away” actually stretches away in our minds as well, like the slow fadeout so we can reflect on the “decay” and “wreck” power has created along with the “bare” legacy it has left behind. The power packed essence of a sonnet has definitely been retained and the modification of this sonnet’s form has actually greatly enhanced it. This indicates that there is no harm in playing around with this type of poetry, due to its appealing essence and flexibility its perfect for experimenting with and adapting.
Finally the best example of the majesty of a sonnet can be seen from the hands of a true master, William Wordsworth. Yes, it takes mastery to create beautiful poetry, but writing using the sonnet form, or using ideas from the sonnet makes it a lot easier. Many of the tools Wordsworth uses to write this sonnet have been adapted and used in all the sonnets I have discussed before. In fact the essence of a sonnet is the same throughout all the poems and this probably aided their success. Simplicity reaches levels of perfection in this sonnet, Wordsworth has used the basic tools that have been created by the sonnet form, just like the other poets have done but the difference is the skill he has achieved with those tools. The opening line is simple and succinct and herein lies its beauty, “ earth has not anything to show more fair”, nothing on this earth can compare to the sight of London in the morning light, the language is short and simple but tremendously sweet in its compactness as well. Wordsworth then claims that this sight would touch anybody, thus, “dull would he be of soul who could pass by”, this line is beautifully phrased especially the term “dull of soul” which attributes a physical description to something as abstract as a soul, allowing the reader to actually engage with the concept and understand it fully.
Wordsworth then goes onto to literally bring London alive and give her form, “the city now doth like a garment wear / The beauty of the morning; silent, bare”. This personification helps create a tangible form we can relate to and in doing so makes his description simple and easy for us to access, and this is done with just a clever personification. The essence of London is dramatised and again the reader has been drawn onto the stage no longer a mere spectator but an actor himself, weaving and performing with the very poetry he is reading. The beautiful description of the setting following this, “ temples lie / open unto the fields, and to the sky; all bright and glittering in the smokeless air.”, creates an almost ethereal feeling. London by morning is given a tangible spiritual feeling with “ temples”, “glittering in the smokeless air”. This is not an easy atmosphere to create but Wordsworth has done it using the sonnet form in the least amount of words but with the greatest impact. Even the sun has been given a human face, “ never did sun more beautifully steep / in his first splendour, valley, rock or hill;”. Here again the economy of words can be seen, this sonnet economy certainly doesn’t detract from effect instead it adds great value to it. The sun as a character is certainly more inspiring then a long winding description and his “splendour” is now tangible, something the reader can interact with. The sonnet form has certainly been used to great effect and as a last parting blow Wordsworth exclaims, “all that mighty heart is lying still!”. The personification is carried out till the very end of the sonnet and this continued packing of ideas into a human form is vastly effective. The focus shifts to the centre, the very core the spring of life that is the “mighty heart” of this giant organism. In beautiful binary opposition, this massive throbbing organ is actually “lying still” perhaps awed by the beauty of the morning just at the reader is in awe of the beauty of this sonnet.
In conclusion I believe that the sonnet form is still relevant and will always be relevant. This does not necessarily mean that sonnet written two hundred years ago will look like a sonnet written today, modifications will be made and this is necessary for the evolution of any form of anything. The concepts and ideas and tools that have evolved alongside a sonnet, namely its compact nature, the use of allegories, powerful metaphors and personifications, the ending couplet, the basic question and answer format as well as the turn in between, will be utilised in the evolution of the form and the transformation of this forms into another forms, and the integration of these ideas into other forms as well.
new economy
The world is changing fast, with the advent of revolutionary new technology and economic models; we believe that IPR must keep up as well. The new world economy is a truly international system with the advent of globalization and international trade. As stated in his book “high noon” J.F Rischard outlines how existing hierarchy based governmental systems are lagging behind the revolutionary new economies they are attempting to manage. The Internet has created a whole new market space and avenue for business revenue. Along with these new economic changes, an interesting new system has emerged, namely “open source”. In this model, co-creators collaborate together to develop new products, software and systems, of their own volition and usually not for income. Mass collaboration has become extremely effective due to the Internet, which allows masses of data to be shared with thousands of individuals all over the world. This enables thousands of brilliant minds to work on a problem / product collectively and find solutions rapidly and cheaply. Some companies have realized the potential of tapping into this vast arena such as “Goldcorp” a mining company, which offered a reward for people to analyze the geological data from one of their gold mining sites and provide possible gold deposit locations on the site. Companies can now publish their Research and Development work on the web and allow access to many people all over the world to refine and add on to this research. Monetary rewards have been offered to motivate people to contribute to the research and development data banks.
“Open sourcing” can also allow companies to create a strong connection with their customers. By publishing the skeleton of say a design of a shoe on a Web site, a shoe manufacturer can ask the customers to design the entire shoe. This would allow for a strong connection to be formed between the producer and consumer. Even though the shoe manufacture might have revealed “sensitive trade secrets” they are more than compensated for by the market they have captured, as they are now producing exactly what the consumer desires. The consumer has become part of the design process and thus feels included and this goes a long way in creating brand loyalty. The consumer has turned into a “prosumer” and has been integrated into the company. This ability to integrate with the customer is the aim of many businesses as it increases loyal market share.
The idea of “open source” is synonymous with innovation, and rapid progress. If companies don’t have to rely on protecting and monopolizing their products through patents, they can continuously adapt and evolve their products freely, creating new ideas to capture the imagination of the market. If products are not protected, than we enter the vista of truly massive collaboration, as ideas spread will spread like wild fire through industries. In such a situation it is vital to constantly evolve and at the same time cultivate brand loyalty. Companies can learn from each other freely in such a scenario and instead of worrying about their products being copied, they should focus their attention on setting a brand landmark in the market through quality and innovation.
This “open source” model can be used to integrate consumers and businesses in industries, which rely on constant innovation, change, and exciting branding but do not rely on critical intellectual property rights such as drug formulas. Examples of these could include civil society movements, education, health care systems {not just pharmaceuticals}, and fashion and accessories industries [such as shoes, enabling mass customization of products {prosumers}]. Where IP is not exclusive people can still compete by creating a unique experience around delivering the service or product. This allows them to differentiate themselves and thus compete.
It can be argued that such a model can only work in specific niche areas of the global economy {which do not rely on critical intellectual property rights} since we probably have a long way to go before such a radical concept truly revolutionizes our businesses and economies creating viable revenue models.
One of the main problems with applying this “open source” idea to patent intensive industries, which rely heavily on “critical intellectual property rights” {such as a drug company} - is the free rider factor; wherein one company invests a large sum of money into say the development of a drug and then another company copies the drug in a matter of days and sells it for a much cheaper price, thus destroying the hopes of the former company as it tries to recover its costs. Traditionally patents have protected the interests of companies like the one mentioned above, but patents allow the company to have a complete monopoly on the idea / product which hampers innovation and progress. The idea / product is no longer open to anyone else to build open. Furthermore, the company can demand extremely high prices for their products, especially if it is in great demand.
Problem:
- Without patents companies do not have the incentive to pour billions of dollars into research and development
- But patents create monopolies as the idea / product cannot be used by anyone else
- Such a monopoly can lead to extremely high prices, which in the case of say a cure for aids could be disastrous, as developing countries could not afford it.
Solution:
Our model is simple and effective in order to decrease prices. We propose the separation of research and development from large companies and the setting up of many individual companies that deal solely with R & D.
Why this is viable: By creating an independent supplier, we can in effect, open a market for R &D. This will cost companies much less, since it takes millions for a shoe company (for example) to set up labs and get scientists, but in a company focused on research, economies of scale applies and work is done more efficiently.
The set up of independent R& D centers (market forces will ensure that they specialize and work very efficiently) will provide multiple suppliers of ideas – thus reducing price.
These ideas will be worked on a group of top scientists (all of whom are being paid huge amounts because the companies will be competing for their skills) -This will keep the scientists motivated and probably increase the rate at which new ideas are created since the incentive is very direct. A scientist will be paid for the productive work he does and will be driven to work more. Right now (in India) scientists receive very little income and it is not considered a mainstream job –this can change that.
Once the R&D firms come up with ideas they WILL sell them multiple times (to increase remuneration (profit)). This over comes the problems of a monopoly since many companies will be able to buy the rights to use the ideas and could develop these ideas further. Healthy competition would be established between these firms keeping the prices in check, in accordance to market phenomenon, thus the problem of exploitation and excruciatingly high prices are resolved.
Prices of licenses will be kept in control by demand and supply forces (competition). It WILL now be sold at developing countries for cheaper prices (since this will open new markets for the companies who bought the idea.
“Open sourcing” can also allow companies to create a strong connection with their customers. By publishing the skeleton of say a design of a shoe on a Web site, a shoe manufacturer can ask the customers to design the entire shoe. This would allow for a strong connection to be formed between the producer and consumer. Even though the shoe manufacture might have revealed “sensitive trade secrets” they are more than compensated for by the market they have captured, as they are now producing exactly what the consumer desires. The consumer has become part of the design process and thus feels included and this goes a long way in creating brand loyalty. The consumer has turned into a “prosumer” and has been integrated into the company. This ability to integrate with the customer is the aim of many businesses as it increases loyal market share.
The idea of “open source” is synonymous with innovation, and rapid progress. If companies don’t have to rely on protecting and monopolizing their products through patents, they can continuously adapt and evolve their products freely, creating new ideas to capture the imagination of the market. If products are not protected, than we enter the vista of truly massive collaboration, as ideas spread will spread like wild fire through industries. In such a situation it is vital to constantly evolve and at the same time cultivate brand loyalty. Companies can learn from each other freely in such a scenario and instead of worrying about their products being copied, they should focus their attention on setting a brand landmark in the market through quality and innovation.
This “open source” model can be used to integrate consumers and businesses in industries, which rely on constant innovation, change, and exciting branding but do not rely on critical intellectual property rights such as drug formulas. Examples of these could include civil society movements, education, health care systems {not just pharmaceuticals}, and fashion and accessories industries [such as shoes, enabling mass customization of products {prosumers}]. Where IP is not exclusive people can still compete by creating a unique experience around delivering the service or product. This allows them to differentiate themselves and thus compete.
It can be argued that such a model can only work in specific niche areas of the global economy {which do not rely on critical intellectual property rights} since we probably have a long way to go before such a radical concept truly revolutionizes our businesses and economies creating viable revenue models.
One of the main problems with applying this “open source” idea to patent intensive industries, which rely heavily on “critical intellectual property rights” {such as a drug company} - is the free rider factor; wherein one company invests a large sum of money into say the development of a drug and then another company copies the drug in a matter of days and sells it for a much cheaper price, thus destroying the hopes of the former company as it tries to recover its costs. Traditionally patents have protected the interests of companies like the one mentioned above, but patents allow the company to have a complete monopoly on the idea / product which hampers innovation and progress. The idea / product is no longer open to anyone else to build open. Furthermore, the company can demand extremely high prices for their products, especially if it is in great demand.
Problem:
- Without patents companies do not have the incentive to pour billions of dollars into research and development
- But patents create monopolies as the idea / product cannot be used by anyone else
- Such a monopoly can lead to extremely high prices, which in the case of say a cure for aids could be disastrous, as developing countries could not afford it.
Solution:
Our model is simple and effective in order to decrease prices. We propose the separation of research and development from large companies and the setting up of many individual companies that deal solely with R & D.
Why this is viable: By creating an independent supplier, we can in effect, open a market for R &D. This will cost companies much less, since it takes millions for a shoe company (for example) to set up labs and get scientists, but in a company focused on research, economies of scale applies and work is done more efficiently.
The set up of independent R& D centers (market forces will ensure that they specialize and work very efficiently) will provide multiple suppliers of ideas – thus reducing price.
These ideas will be worked on a group of top scientists (all of whom are being paid huge amounts because the companies will be competing for their skills) -This will keep the scientists motivated and probably increase the rate at which new ideas are created since the incentive is very direct. A scientist will be paid for the productive work he does and will be driven to work more. Right now (in India) scientists receive very little income and it is not considered a mainstream job –this can change that.
Once the R&D firms come up with ideas they WILL sell them multiple times (to increase remuneration (profit)). This over comes the problems of a monopoly since many companies will be able to buy the rights to use the ideas and could develop these ideas further. Healthy competition would be established between these firms keeping the prices in check, in accordance to market phenomenon, thus the problem of exploitation and excruciatingly high prices are resolved.
Prices of licenses will be kept in control by demand and supply forces (competition). It WILL now be sold at developing countries for cheaper prices (since this will open new markets for the companies who bought the idea.
insanity?
Has your mind ever sunk into the deepest recess of thought, probed so far and so deep that it buried itself inside a bottomless pit of questions and fear? Has it ever reached a point where it is so tangled and confused that expression itself is laboured and impossible? It can only reel around beating itself to death, slowing down due to exhaustion, crumbling away into nothingness and black oblivion. At this point knowledge lies forgotten and wisdom turns tail and flees. Everything you have taken for granted throughout your life slowly fades away, confused and hurt. It feels like your rights have been stripped from here, rights more fundamental than legal rights or even human rights. These are rights to your individuality, rights to your very existence and to your definition. Freedom of expression is destroyed, not to the world at large, but to yourself. Your own mind refuses to communicate to itself, hemmed in and blockaded by information, as it lies distraught, unable to communicate even with itself….. is this what insanity is?
jethro tull
JETHRO TULL
Jethro Tull has been an integral part of my being even before I was consciously aware of my own existence. After only 365 days on this earth I was taken to THE Tull concert on my very first birthday. A 100 people were called for the celebration and after that a massive convoy made for Tull's very first appearance on Bangalorean soil. In those days he was sort of in his prime but still kind of old and geriatric, but still they/he were stuff of legend. my parents had seen him years ago in concert. I think I got the best possible inaugural birthday gift ever. On Feb 19th 1992 I witnessed the Tull concert perched on my dads shoulders high above the swaying crowd, completely ignorant of what was going on but not oblivious, but instead unnaturally observant as I witnessed this rock phoneme which would forever be ingrained in my essence.
Then again 13 years after his taste of Bangalore, Tull was back, with a new band, hairstyle and look, but the same Tull.
I bought the tickets a week in advance seething with excitement at the return of a part of my soul, buried deep in the layers of time. 14 years I had spent on this earth but still my roots anchored me down deep into the magic of rock.
At the last minute my dad couldn’t make it due to a trip to Delhi, unfortunately he missed the return of the legend but caught bits of it via cell phone from the concert.
Thus my mother agreed, grudgingly, to set out upon this expedition into the distant past. Along with us we took the Tull men Mrythunjai Marol and Navrun a bewildered Vivek Yagnik who had never heard of Tull before, but could not refuse a free ticket, as jai’s father too could not make it. Thus we set out on the great expedition to the glory of Tull, with our hand drawn Tull T-shirts crafted out of our love for the music.
On arrival at the IIMB campus we were met by hoards of all of Bangalore’s vast “old rocker” crowd, marching like an army in their massive legions their long gray hair and flowing beards dancing in the strong cold wind, all around an uncontained excitement buzzed.
The long winding cue too enter the realm of music seemed to go on forever and as I stood and waited for an hour as the mosquitoes feasted on my blood my enthusiasm began to waver and reached an all time low. I sat dejectedly on the ground waiting lost in old forgotten thoughts.
This quickly evaporated as our most unlikely companions rekindled our hope and brought life to the boring atmosphere. Vivek and Navrun had managed to escape the line, run to the gates and sneak right up to the stage, as they gazed as the blaring lights were tested and the guitar orchestras tuned up. Vivek kept us all notified with and an unending stream of commentary via his cell phone. He was ecstatic and his enthusiasm rekindled all our hopes, we realized the power of rock as it managed to convert this blithering simpleton into a bundle of controlled rock energy. He urged as on and we were spurred by his description of the magic that was taking place at the end of the seemingly impassable cue.
As the news vans drove in we found ourselves at the gates of rock haven
We pushed through and were searched for booze, drugs and guns. I was searched twice and this is a source of great pride to me, to be considered a notorious rock gangster.
Finally we made our way into a vast field into which people were slowly pouring in. It was surrounded by tall sheets of corrugated metal .At the very end stood a massive stage shrouded in a thick white fog which rapidly turned to different shades of purple, green, blue, yellow as the lights were being tested. Dark forms could be seen scuttling around the massive stage. The field was separated into two halves by a wooden barrier cutting straight across dividing the two ticket holder 1200 and 600 RS, we were in the 600 RS section. Further from the hallowed stage, yet in this section people were calm relaxed and chilled, stretched out lying down in the grass, without a worry in the world, munching on the snacks available at the corners of the field. In the center of the field was the massive tower of lights and speakers that stretched up into the sky, on which were perched the camera men, near this we found our long lost companions yagnik and Navrun who had braved great perils to make it here.
Half an hour passed and the field was jam-packed, then the lights began to dim and went out .the crowd stood up on their feet waiting expectantly, a great silence fell and everything was still. Suddenly Banagalores native rock band thermal and a quarter began to play and the crowd released a massive collective sigh followed by the rumbling noise of groans, hisses and boo’s.
This is not usually the response thermal receives but this crowd was here for a reason and that reason was Tull, they had no patience to listen to anybody else. But the crowd did warm up to thermal a bit, its in our nature and when the played classics like radio Ga. Ga. they got a good response, but the largest cheer they got was when they announced that they were playing their last song. Finally they left the stage with a smattering of applause from the back, but a loud chorus of “thank god” “we want Tulle” from the more unruly IIMB crowd at the front.
Again there was silence as Tull refused to appear, as the minutes flew by, the crowd begun to sit down and wait patiently again. After 15 full minutes an angry buzzing started to hum through the crowd as they were beginning to get slightly agitated, but still no Tull,
Now I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore and got up to my feet, screaming “we want Tull. We want Tull”. Slowly the rest of the crowd started to join in and the chant “we want Tull” reverberated around the field with a deafening roar, but still Tull did not appear, the chants slowly died out, and I sat back down quite disappointed.
Suddenly the stage glowed with a bright, blinding light like the dawn breaking through the dark clouds of night. A guitar could be heard loud and clear, strumming up an old forgotten tune, rapidly followed by the booming drums, earthy base and finally the ropy voice of … none other than Tull himself.
I leapt up to my feet and along with every single person in the entire crowd screamed at the top of my voice. The deafening roar that greeted the band spurred them on and they picked up the pace as Tull jumped, danced and hopped around on stage, looking as youthful and energetic as ever.
The next hour was a blur; the music wound across the field mesmerizing the crowd .I was uplifted by the melodies washing over me. It reminded me of times long past and places I have not and will never visit; yet all of it seemed completely familiar to me. The music flowed, quick and bright then suddenly slow and melancholy changing mood effortlessly and swilling through songs smoothly, after a while I was lost in the music and could remember no more.
Then my brother and mom jumped the fence into the 1200 section, I stayed put, but after a little while my mom reappeared grabbed me and dragged me across the barriers, past the guards and shouted at me to go as close to the stage as possible. This was the best advice anybody had ever given me.
And I raced up till I was just a few feet from the man himself. Now I was surrounded by the glowing ends of cigarettes and a big hazy cloud of smoke, but this I ignored as I swayed with the music.
Tulls flute rang out crystal clear and then brayed electrifying the next moment, he stood on one foot, his signature pose greeted by a sudden out burst of cheers from the crowd. He danced and pranced and leapt joyfully singing, dancing playing the flute and mandolin as he recounted long lost forgotten tales through song. Stopping now and then to recount a bit of history and old stories from the band in a comical manner and funny accent. He was truly a performer spitting wildly as the songs got progressively rockier.
Then the concert took an unexpected turn. From rock it turned a bit heavier to hard rock as Tulls flute danced among the riffs of electrifying electric guitar solos.
The band burst into the songs “thick as a brick” and “Burma” these were filled with mind-blowing solos from the flute and electric guitar, the crowd wreathed in pleasure and euphoria, now the concert was really starting to heat up.
As the opening riff of aqualung started up everybody up front just lost it and went absolutely crazy this was it, this was amazing, and this was raw rock.
This was it, I completely lost it, jumping up and down pushing and shoving everybody around me screaming the words at the top of my lungs, headbanging like there was no tomorrow, tears streamed down my face as I achieved nirvana. As the song reached its soft slow verse the whole crowd joined together swaying slowly, as if in a dream they all sung the words slowly, perfectly it was marvelous.
Then came the rock, like rolling thunder it broke apart the clouds of our deep trance sending us higher than we had ever been before.
The guitar came alive the words began to dance the song sped up and so the crowd came alive dancing moving swaying to the rhythm as it pulsated and jived and bounced and came alive
Now everybody was dancing the song took control completely
Then the guitar solo cam loud clear electrifying and everybody froze for a second but then went completely crazy as the guitar started to sing and weave a powerful mind-blowing tune which had us all hypnotized.
It gave way again to the old soft slow rhythm, which swayed and washed over us gently, calming the crowd as it dozed off like some great beast of legend.
Only to be broken by the powerful thundering chorus that defines the song with its harsh brutal strength that tore apart the crowd sending it into a high pitched fever.
Pounding, pulsating, ebbing and flowing like a thundering boulder rolling down a steep slope, and as the song ended the entire field was consumed by a roar of cheers that reverberated across the heavens, thundering through the entire campus, booming through the hills and mountains. It was beyond description.
With that Tull said his quick good-byes and amid roaring cheers left the stage, gone forever.
But through the pleading cries for an encore, could be heard the voice of one drunk man. He screamed “one more, one fucking more” he screamed so loud that u could actually hear his throat rip open from the strain and his vocal chords scream in agony. He climbed up on the fencing that surrounded the stage only to fall off and smash into the hard unforgiving earth. But again he dragged himself onto his feet and climbed once more, not giving up, hell bent on getting Tull back, he climbed and fell again and again till blood flowed freely down his face. Still he was screaming so loud that every body could here him. No one could restrain him; he knew what his purpose was.
Suddenly as if answering his bleating pleas, a lone keyboardist stumbled back on stage and sat down dazed for a second before determinedly started up the tune for Locomotive breath. At this the crowd went completely and absolutely berserk and I lost all semblance of sanity. Screaming and jumping trying to reach the heavens completely oblivious of anything and everything around me I danced to the tune of the song bellowing the words as everybody else joined in as one. The rest of the band raced out onto the stage as well and the greatest song of all time began as if it would never ever end. The opening riff as the keyboard belted out a lively tune accompanied by the electric guitar screeching out a introductory solo as the drums came to life booming like the drums of the gods.
The song is about a locomotive that cannot be stopped and describes its journey as it hurtles to oblivion. This is the only thing that could describe the crowd and me, a massive locomotive thundering uncontrollably to its doom, it cannot be stopped, it cannot slow down, it roars, hollers, screams, howls, shakes all the while hurtling forward with unquestionable power and strength. This is exactly what the crowd had turned into a rouge, raging locomotive whose breath could be heard for miles around, everyone was ecstatic the band was going crazy the people were even more insane the song was absolutely berserk it was amazing
My throat was sore my muscles ached as I leapt up and down I thought I was going to die my heart felt like it was about to explode and my breath came out in ragged wisps, punctuated by hacking coughs. But I was ready to die, face my mortality, it didn’t matter now, nothing mattered except the music. Everything became a blur my soul left my body and floated high above the crowd, I could hear nothing feel nothing see nothing but at the same time hear everything feel everything and see everything, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before in my whole life
Suddenly Tull unleashed a massive balloon into the crowd and everybody rushed to touch it. But one man got to it first and with a mighty blow destroyed it with a massive pop. It was he, the drunken man that had summoned Tull once again. Then a look of great peace came across his face, he had fulfilled his purpose and with that he crashed to the ground in a drunken stupor.
Like him everything else is was blur and all I remember was stumbling back half dead across the fields littered with the carnage of the concert. Through the darkness weaving like a drunk completely high, singing and shouting at the top of my lungs oblivious of everybody around me, nothing else mattered. I was in heaven floating up among the clouds.
THE END by Nishant
Jethro Tull has been an integral part of my being even before I was consciously aware of my own existence. After only 365 days on this earth I was taken to THE Tull concert on my very first birthday. A 100 people were called for the celebration and after that a massive convoy made for Tull's very first appearance on Bangalorean soil. In those days he was sort of in his prime but still kind of old and geriatric, but still they/he were stuff of legend. my parents had seen him years ago in concert. I think I got the best possible inaugural birthday gift ever. On Feb 19th 1992 I witnessed the Tull concert perched on my dads shoulders high above the swaying crowd, completely ignorant of what was going on but not oblivious, but instead unnaturally observant as I witnessed this rock phoneme which would forever be ingrained in my essence.
Then again 13 years after his taste of Bangalore, Tull was back, with a new band, hairstyle and look, but the same Tull.
I bought the tickets a week in advance seething with excitement at the return of a part of my soul, buried deep in the layers of time. 14 years I had spent on this earth but still my roots anchored me down deep into the magic of rock.
At the last minute my dad couldn’t make it due to a trip to Delhi, unfortunately he missed the return of the legend but caught bits of it via cell phone from the concert.
Thus my mother agreed, grudgingly, to set out upon this expedition into the distant past. Along with us we took the Tull men Mrythunjai Marol and Navrun a bewildered Vivek Yagnik who had never heard of Tull before, but could not refuse a free ticket, as jai’s father too could not make it. Thus we set out on the great expedition to the glory of Tull, with our hand drawn Tull T-shirts crafted out of our love for the music.
On arrival at the IIMB campus we were met by hoards of all of Bangalore’s vast “old rocker” crowd, marching like an army in their massive legions their long gray hair and flowing beards dancing in the strong cold wind, all around an uncontained excitement buzzed.
The long winding cue too enter the realm of music seemed to go on forever and as I stood and waited for an hour as the mosquitoes feasted on my blood my enthusiasm began to waver and reached an all time low. I sat dejectedly on the ground waiting lost in old forgotten thoughts.
This quickly evaporated as our most unlikely companions rekindled our hope and brought life to the boring atmosphere. Vivek and Navrun had managed to escape the line, run to the gates and sneak right up to the stage, as they gazed as the blaring lights were tested and the guitar orchestras tuned up. Vivek kept us all notified with and an unending stream of commentary via his cell phone. He was ecstatic and his enthusiasm rekindled all our hopes, we realized the power of rock as it managed to convert this blithering simpleton into a bundle of controlled rock energy. He urged as on and we were spurred by his description of the magic that was taking place at the end of the seemingly impassable cue.
As the news vans drove in we found ourselves at the gates of rock haven
We pushed through and were searched for booze, drugs and guns. I was searched twice and this is a source of great pride to me, to be considered a notorious rock gangster.
Finally we made our way into a vast field into which people were slowly pouring in. It was surrounded by tall sheets of corrugated metal .At the very end stood a massive stage shrouded in a thick white fog which rapidly turned to different shades of purple, green, blue, yellow as the lights were being tested. Dark forms could be seen scuttling around the massive stage. The field was separated into two halves by a wooden barrier cutting straight across dividing the two ticket holder 1200 and 600 RS, we were in the 600 RS section. Further from the hallowed stage, yet in this section people were calm relaxed and chilled, stretched out lying down in the grass, without a worry in the world, munching on the snacks available at the corners of the field. In the center of the field was the massive tower of lights and speakers that stretched up into the sky, on which were perched the camera men, near this we found our long lost companions yagnik and Navrun who had braved great perils to make it here.
Half an hour passed and the field was jam-packed, then the lights began to dim and went out .the crowd stood up on their feet waiting expectantly, a great silence fell and everything was still. Suddenly Banagalores native rock band thermal and a quarter began to play and the crowd released a massive collective sigh followed by the rumbling noise of groans, hisses and boo’s.
This is not usually the response thermal receives but this crowd was here for a reason and that reason was Tull, they had no patience to listen to anybody else. But the crowd did warm up to thermal a bit, its in our nature and when the played classics like radio Ga. Ga. they got a good response, but the largest cheer they got was when they announced that they were playing their last song. Finally they left the stage with a smattering of applause from the back, but a loud chorus of “thank god” “we want Tulle” from the more unruly IIMB crowd at the front.
Again there was silence as Tull refused to appear, as the minutes flew by, the crowd begun to sit down and wait patiently again. After 15 full minutes an angry buzzing started to hum through the crowd as they were beginning to get slightly agitated, but still no Tull,
Now I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore and got up to my feet, screaming “we want Tull. We want Tull”. Slowly the rest of the crowd started to join in and the chant “we want Tull” reverberated around the field with a deafening roar, but still Tull did not appear, the chants slowly died out, and I sat back down quite disappointed.
Suddenly the stage glowed with a bright, blinding light like the dawn breaking through the dark clouds of night. A guitar could be heard loud and clear, strumming up an old forgotten tune, rapidly followed by the booming drums, earthy base and finally the ropy voice of … none other than Tull himself.
I leapt up to my feet and along with every single person in the entire crowd screamed at the top of my voice. The deafening roar that greeted the band spurred them on and they picked up the pace as Tull jumped, danced and hopped around on stage, looking as youthful and energetic as ever.
The next hour was a blur; the music wound across the field mesmerizing the crowd .I was uplifted by the melodies washing over me. It reminded me of times long past and places I have not and will never visit; yet all of it seemed completely familiar to me. The music flowed, quick and bright then suddenly slow and melancholy changing mood effortlessly and swilling through songs smoothly, after a while I was lost in the music and could remember no more.
Then my brother and mom jumped the fence into the 1200 section, I stayed put, but after a little while my mom reappeared grabbed me and dragged me across the barriers, past the guards and shouted at me to go as close to the stage as possible. This was the best advice anybody had ever given me.
And I raced up till I was just a few feet from the man himself. Now I was surrounded by the glowing ends of cigarettes and a big hazy cloud of smoke, but this I ignored as I swayed with the music.
Tulls flute rang out crystal clear and then brayed electrifying the next moment, he stood on one foot, his signature pose greeted by a sudden out burst of cheers from the crowd. He danced and pranced and leapt joyfully singing, dancing playing the flute and mandolin as he recounted long lost forgotten tales through song. Stopping now and then to recount a bit of history and old stories from the band in a comical manner and funny accent. He was truly a performer spitting wildly as the songs got progressively rockier.
Then the concert took an unexpected turn. From rock it turned a bit heavier to hard rock as Tulls flute danced among the riffs of electrifying electric guitar solos.
The band burst into the songs “thick as a brick” and “Burma” these were filled with mind-blowing solos from the flute and electric guitar, the crowd wreathed in pleasure and euphoria, now the concert was really starting to heat up.
As the opening riff of aqualung started up everybody up front just lost it and went absolutely crazy this was it, this was amazing, and this was raw rock.
This was it, I completely lost it, jumping up and down pushing and shoving everybody around me screaming the words at the top of my lungs, headbanging like there was no tomorrow, tears streamed down my face as I achieved nirvana. As the song reached its soft slow verse the whole crowd joined together swaying slowly, as if in a dream they all sung the words slowly, perfectly it was marvelous.
Then came the rock, like rolling thunder it broke apart the clouds of our deep trance sending us higher than we had ever been before.
The guitar came alive the words began to dance the song sped up and so the crowd came alive dancing moving swaying to the rhythm as it pulsated and jived and bounced and came alive
Now everybody was dancing the song took control completely
Then the guitar solo cam loud clear electrifying and everybody froze for a second but then went completely crazy as the guitar started to sing and weave a powerful mind-blowing tune which had us all hypnotized.
It gave way again to the old soft slow rhythm, which swayed and washed over us gently, calming the crowd as it dozed off like some great beast of legend.
Only to be broken by the powerful thundering chorus that defines the song with its harsh brutal strength that tore apart the crowd sending it into a high pitched fever.
Pounding, pulsating, ebbing and flowing like a thundering boulder rolling down a steep slope, and as the song ended the entire field was consumed by a roar of cheers that reverberated across the heavens, thundering through the entire campus, booming through the hills and mountains. It was beyond description.
With that Tull said his quick good-byes and amid roaring cheers left the stage, gone forever.
But through the pleading cries for an encore, could be heard the voice of one drunk man. He screamed “one more, one fucking more” he screamed so loud that u could actually hear his throat rip open from the strain and his vocal chords scream in agony. He climbed up on the fencing that surrounded the stage only to fall off and smash into the hard unforgiving earth. But again he dragged himself onto his feet and climbed once more, not giving up, hell bent on getting Tull back, he climbed and fell again and again till blood flowed freely down his face. Still he was screaming so loud that every body could here him. No one could restrain him; he knew what his purpose was.
Suddenly as if answering his bleating pleas, a lone keyboardist stumbled back on stage and sat down dazed for a second before determinedly started up the tune for Locomotive breath. At this the crowd went completely and absolutely berserk and I lost all semblance of sanity. Screaming and jumping trying to reach the heavens completely oblivious of anything and everything around me I danced to the tune of the song bellowing the words as everybody else joined in as one. The rest of the band raced out onto the stage as well and the greatest song of all time began as if it would never ever end. The opening riff as the keyboard belted out a lively tune accompanied by the electric guitar screeching out a introductory solo as the drums came to life booming like the drums of the gods.
The song is about a locomotive that cannot be stopped and describes its journey as it hurtles to oblivion. This is the only thing that could describe the crowd and me, a massive locomotive thundering uncontrollably to its doom, it cannot be stopped, it cannot slow down, it roars, hollers, screams, howls, shakes all the while hurtling forward with unquestionable power and strength. This is exactly what the crowd had turned into a rouge, raging locomotive whose breath could be heard for miles around, everyone was ecstatic the band was going crazy the people were even more insane the song was absolutely berserk it was amazing
My throat was sore my muscles ached as I leapt up and down I thought I was going to die my heart felt like it was about to explode and my breath came out in ragged wisps, punctuated by hacking coughs. But I was ready to die, face my mortality, it didn’t matter now, nothing mattered except the music. Everything became a blur my soul left my body and floated high above the crowd, I could hear nothing feel nothing see nothing but at the same time hear everything feel everything and see everything, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before in my whole life
Suddenly Tull unleashed a massive balloon into the crowd and everybody rushed to touch it. But one man got to it first and with a mighty blow destroyed it with a massive pop. It was he, the drunken man that had summoned Tull once again. Then a look of great peace came across his face, he had fulfilled his purpose and with that he crashed to the ground in a drunken stupor.
Like him everything else is was blur and all I remember was stumbling back half dead across the fields littered with the carnage of the concert. Through the darkness weaving like a drunk completely high, singing and shouting at the top of my lungs oblivious of everybody around me, nothing else mattered. I was in heaven floating up among the clouds.
THE END by Nishant
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