Name:- Sejal R. Parmar
Sem:-2
Enrollment no:-2069108420190033
Year:- 2018-2020
Paper no:-6 The Victorian Literature
Topic:- Cultural and Anarchy Matthew Arnold
Email:- Sejalparmar095@gmail.com
Submitted to:- Department of English Maharaja
krishanakumarshinji Bhavnagar University.
*Culture and Anarchy by Mathew Arnold
* Introduction
Culture and anarchy was a notorious philosophical work
written by thecelebrated Victorian poet and critic Mathew Arnold. This essay is
first published in ‘Cornhill Magazine’ during 1867-’68. Its fullname is
“Culture and Anarchy: An Essay inPolitical and Social Criticism”.
*What is culture and anarchy?
Frist we can define what was the meaning of Culture. Here
are some definitions of Culture.
*Culture
In Latin, Culture had
a range of meanings…………
Inhabit
Cultivate
Protect
Honour with worship etc.
Later on, culture began itscomplicate modern history etc.
Culture was a newsocial and intellectual movement.
Culture refers to thecumulative
deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings,
hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatialrelations, concepts of
the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of
people in the course ofgenerations through individual andgroup striving.
A culture is a wayof
life of a group of people
Culture is a
collective programming of the mind that distinguishesthe members of one group
or category of people from another.
The term ‘Culture’ which originally meant the Cultivation of
human mind andsoul.
*Arnold’s Views on Culture
According to his views, he says that,
“Culture was a study of perfection”
Culture is the process, means it was always going on. And
also it was not static but it is changeable. It is study of social and moral
perfection. And Arnold says that culture was internal thing. As power of God
remains within, similarly culture also remains within.
Arnold sees culture as a study of perfection. He says:
“To conceive of true human perfection asa harmonious
perfection, developing all sides of our humanity; and as a general perfection,
developing all parts of our society. For if one member suffers, the other
member must suffer with it; and the fewer there was that follow the true way of
salvation. The harder that way is to find.”
Arnold considers that one should see the moral, social and
beneficent characters in culture. Culture remains within us in the form of
manner. The culture was the only thing that differentiates human from animal.
It makes perfect our humanity. Culture has nothing to do with religion or God.
But at some they are a part of the culture. One cannot possess culture but
surely one can have personal mental growth by culture. Culture conceives
perfection.
Culture as the folk-spirit having a unique identity, and
culture as cultivation of waywardness or free individuality. The first meaning was
predominant in our current use of the term "culture," although the
second still plays a large role in what we think culture should achieve, namely
the full "expression" of the unique or "authentic" self.
Culture is music, literature, painting and sculpture, theater and film. A
Ministry of Culture refers to these specific activities, sometimes with theaddition
of philosophy, scholarship, history.
Culture was not the frivolous oruseless thing, but it has a
very important function to fulfill for mankind. Here Arnold says about the
purpose of the culture. That was to keep the mark of human perfection.
According to Arnold “Culture is harmonious perfection, developing all sides of
humanity as a general perfection”
*Culture: sweetness and light
Arnold considers that, Culture was also connected with the
idea of Sweetness and Light. The Greek word ‘aphuia’ means well grown or
graceful. He connects the idea of culture with sweetness and light. He explains
the idea with the help of Greek words ‘aphuia’ and ‘euphuia’. Here the man
‘euphyes’ is going towards ‘sweetness and light’
*Anarchy
· A state of
society without government or low.
· A state
without any government control.
· Freeform government society
· Anarchy refers
to a society, entity, group of persons or single person without recognition ofauthority.
· A state of
lawlessness or political disorder due to absence of governmental authority
*Anarchy- According to Arnold
Anarchy means “utopian societies of individuals who enjoy
complete freedom without government.” the term ‘anarchy’ refers to a society
without a publicly enforced government or violently enforced political
authority. When we use in this sense, anarchy may or may not be intended to
imply political disorder or lawlessness.
Arnold in this chapter he talks of one’s freedom. And this
freedom is sung very much by Englishmen. But yet, they never thought about end
of such freedom for which it is to be desired. Arnoldaccepts the idea of
personal freedom, but he tells about complete freedom. Arnold thinks in this
way
*Arnold and three classes
He has divided the society of England into
three classes and analyzes them with their virtue and defects. His scrutiny of
three classes of his time proves him good critic.
*The barbarian
• Free minded
• Liberty
• Rich class
people
• Fashionable
• Free to live
and think
• More
Civilized
The barbarian or we can say that the aristocratic class.
They are champion of personal liberty and often anarchical in their tendencies
yet they have their own individualism field, sport and manly exercises are a
fashion with them. Their external styles in manners, accomplishments and powers
are inherited from the Barbarians.
*The Philistine
• Money-Makers
• Commerce
• Idea about
business
• Industrialist
• Tea-meeting
etc.
The middle class, known by their wisdom, expert of industry
and found busy in industrialization and commerce. Their eternal inclination is
to the progress and prosperity of the country by building cities, railroads and
running the great wheels of industry. They have produced the greatest
mercantile navy. So, theyare Empire builders. In this material progress, the
working class is with them.
*The Populace
• Hard working
• Narrow minded
• Bad activity
• Poverty
• Slum area
• Orthodoxy
• Rigidity
This class was known raw and half developed because of
poverty and other related diseases. This class was mostly exploited by the
barbarian and philistine. The author finds democratic arousing in this class
because they are getting political consciousness and are coming out from their
hiding places to assert an English man’s heaven born privilege of doing as one
likes, meeting where he likes, breaking what he likes.
Doing as one likes” was an outcome of middle and working
class. But at some extent it brings chaos and anarchy in society. He says that
business and trade is highly represented by our middle and working class. They
do too much hard work.
Arnold considers that their people are rough and
uncultivated. And so, there must be system of law and discipline. In short
Arnold says that freedom or personal freedom is necessary, but not on the
shoulder of chaos or anarchy. Arnold’s point was that, one must think in
proper, right way. One must have clear sight to see things in their real forms.
There are also other forms of anarchy that attempt to avoid
the use of coercion, violence, force and authority, while still producing a
productive and desirable society. Anarchy is also a technical issue of economic
science.
The idea of personal freedom was brought up by Englishman.
And with it they have the concept of anarchy inherently. In politics the slogan
of middleclass was this:
There were two sides in politics also. They two were giving
different ideas or concepts of personal liberty. On one side this personal
freedom privileged aristocracy. And the middle class people were tempted by the
political idea of personal freedom. The mass put blind faith in it and the
modern spirit of anarchical tendency took shape. So, the MASS, the working
classes of Arnold’s time started asserting their right to do what they like,
meet where they like and enter where they like.
*Hebraism and Hellenism
Arnold talks about the great idea to know and the great
energy to act. Both are the most potent forces, and they should be in harmony
by the light of reason. So, they are Hebraism and Hellenism.
*Hellenism
Spirit of mind
Spirit of Greek
Open minded
Knowledge
Thought for Practical
Follow the platonic Idea etc.
*Hebraism
Spirit of thought
Spirit of Bible
Narrow mindedness
Religious
Thought only for God
Follow the biblical
idea
The final aim of Hellenism and Hebraism was the same as
man's perfection and salvation. Arnold further discusses that,
“The supreme idea with Hellenism or the Greek Spirit was to
see things as they really are, and the supreme idea of Hebraism or the Spirit
of Bible is conduct and obedience.”
Hebraism and Hellenism both are directly connected to the
life of human beings.
“Hellenism keeps emphasis on knowing or knowledge,
Whereas Hebraism
fastens its faith in doing.”
The aim of both was the partaking of divine life with
knowledge and action. He describes that the Bible reveals the truth which
awards the peace of God and liberty. Hellenism face to face with Hebraism.
Hebraism was renewed and purged, but Hellenism of Renaissance lost its moral
character. One thing must be viewed that Hellenism was of Indo-European growth
and Hebraism was of Semitic growth. Those who belonged to Indo-European stock
showed their natural affinity to Hellenism.
Hellenism acquires spontaneity of consciousness with a
clearness of mind, and Hebraism achieves a strictness of conscience with its
clarity of thought. In brief, Hebraism shows stress on doing rather than
knowing, and follows the will of God. Its primary idea is absolute obedience to
the will of God.”
Arnold talks about the idea of immortality as illustrated by
St. Paul, the Christian saint and Plato, the Greek philosopher, but the both
have left something unexplained. So, the problem of human spirit was still
unsolved in both Hebraism and Hellenism.
Renaissance re-established Hellenism and man's intellectual
impulses in Europe and Puritanism embraced the blessings of both Hellenism and
Hebraism. The defeat of Hellenism by early Christianity and the defeat of
Hellenism by Puritanism was the result of Renaissance stress on the progress of
humanism and science.
*Conclusion
In the essay Matthew Arnold categorizes six different terms
such Culture, Anarchy, Sweetness, Light Hellenism and Hebraism so with the help
of these different terms he has described his views on Culture in which he also
says that Culture and Anarchy both are different thing and at last he also
explains the difficult terms like Hellenism and Hebraism.
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