Explanation on “The Seven Ages” from As You Like It

All the word is a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts.

This extract from “The Seven Ages”, a brief part of the play “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare has become a famous saying over the years. It is a piece of the great philosophy propounded by Shakespeare who is popularly known as the ‘Bard of Avon’. As per the ‘insightful view’ of Shakespeare, the world is a stage where all men and women perform under the instructions of the Fate. They are mere puppets in the hand of their destiny that is responsible for distributing joy and sorrow to them. Our birth on earth is like an actor’s entrance on the stage, and our death is like the actor’s exit or departure from the stage. During the time between our birth and death, or between our entrance and exit, we play many different roles and perform our duties. This period is divided into seven different phases of human life. Like actors on stage, we laugh and cry, live some moments of joy as well as some moments of sorrow, and then bid adieu to the world. 

Three words indicating different intensity levels of rainfall in “Song of the Rain”

Kahlil Gibran has subtly used three words ‘cry’, ‘humble’, and ‘bow’ to personify the rain in "Song of the Rain". These three words have not only personified the elements but also adjectified the worlds describing the different intensity of rainfall. ‘Cry’ refers to the speed and sound of falling rains. It is known that driving rainfall at a great speed and with huge sound. The word ‘humble’ indicates the mild intensity with which the rain falls. When it is a mild shower of rain drops with a soft and soothing touch, flowers rejoice. Unlike driving rains, mild rains pat flowers softly. When it is a spell of shower, all things on earth get refreshed, rejuvenated and feel elated. Thus the ran blends three different personalities in itself.        

Why does Kahlil Gibran call rain “earthly life” in "Song of the Rain"?

Every mortal being on earth is bound to go through a define life cycle. The boundary of earthly life is definite. In the poem “Song of the Rain”, rain has been personified as a living being bound to a life cycle. Like every other thing on earth, rain moves in a circular way by coming back to its origin where it rises up from. From this perspective, the poet Kahlil Gibran is right in describing rain as ‘earthly life’.   

Explanation on Kahlil Gibran’s “Song of the Rain”

“Song of the Rain” is a beautiful poem appealing to the sensitive hearts touched by the heavenly beauty of rains. The poet Kahlil Gibran has composed this poem as a eulogy in praise of rain and its affection for earth. The poem is written in the first person, and rain itself is the speaker. Rain has held a mirror to its identity and activity in the poem.

Rains look like ‘silver threads’ while falling on earth. It is a divine gift from the gods to nature. Nature accepts this gift as a blessing to nourish and nurture her ‘fields and valleys’. Rains are as beautiful as pearls to the eyes of beauty worshippers. Rain drops shine with the white gleams of the pearls in the ‘crown of Ishtar’, goddess of fertility, love, war and sex in the Babylonian Pantheon.

Rains come down with showers of pleasure and joy for everyone and everything. It makes the hills laugh, the flowers rejoice, and all things feel elated. Rain is a wand of magic with a transforming touch. Rain, a messenger of mercy in the poet’s speak, connects the field with the cloud high in the sky. It fills in the void between the sky and the earth. Raindrops quench the thirst of the earth and cure the blisters caused by the heat of simmering summer. This heavenly blessing works as a panacea to many problems.

The poet Kahlil Gibran has elucidated the majesty of rains through a picturesque description and in a poetic way. The deafening voice of thunder announces the arrival of rains on earth, just like a king’s arrival is heralded by the beating of drums. The rainbow sprinkling a handful of seven different colors across the blue surface of the sky after the clouds disappear declares the departure of rains from earth.

Rains spring up from the deep of seas and oceans. It soars great heights with the breeze and then, comes back to its source. Thus rains run round in a cyclic process. Out of its caring attitude towards earth, this natural phenomenon comes down to nourish, refresh and rejuvenate flowers and trees in a million ways. The verity is that not everyone can percept the soothing feel, affectionate nature and caring attitude of the rain. The song of the rain does not warm every heart. Only the sensitive hearts can be touched to the bottomless pit by Kahlil Gibran’s “Song of the Rain”.   

Which character – Bishop or convict is integral to the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’?

Both the characters the Bishop and the convict are integral and relevant to the plot of the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’. Appearance of the convict moves the play towards its climax. The Bishop’s humane values and virtues are revealed through his treatment of the convict. The Bishop’s kindness, generosity, hospitality and nobility are mostly reflected in his attitude towards the convict. The moral issue of this play is expressed through the transformation of the convict by the Bishop. Hence, the characters – the Bishop and the convict do not weigh more or less than each other in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.       

Explanatory note on The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon

“The Hero” is a bold attempt by Siegfried Sassoon, one of the most famous war poets, to tear off the mask from the face of war. The poem expresses the hypocrisy hidden behind the glory of war. War is a game of bloodshed. Many innocent lives are lost in the bloody game. There is nothing glorious about it. Many youths are forced to join the warfare and thus, they are driven to untimely death against their wish. The painful death of a soldier is glorified as the death of a martyr. The people sitting back at ease in their homes think and speak highly of soldiers and their death in the battlefield. 

The poem “The Hero” gives us the real picture of how some cold-footed soldiers die being blown into countless pieces. In the poem, Jack lacks the bravery of a true soldier. Afraid of the cruelty of warfare, Jack makes a lame excuse to go back home from the trench. When he passes through the trench, a mine explodes and blows him into bits. Jack meets an unpleasant death which is glorified as a great achievement by senior officers. 

The Colonel sends an officer with a letter to Jack’s mother. The letter from the Colonel speaks of the dead Jack in glowing terms to console the poor old mother over the death of her only son. The mother is down with grief for having lost her son on the one hand and holds her head high with pride for the supposed glorious death of her son on the other hand. The kind-hearted Officer who comes to meet Jack’s mother hides the harsh reality about Jack’s death from her. He does not want the old lady to get hurt. He rightly thinks that her pride over the heroic death of her son in the trench is the only consolation for her.   

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Siegfried Sassoon’s attitude to war in the poem The Hero

The poem The Hero reflects Siegfried Sassoon’s satirical attitude to war. The poet is not critical of warfare but the hypocrisy that surrounds war. Some soldiers like Jack are not brave enough to fight and face death in war. They meet an untimely and unpleasant death. Their death is, then, glorified as a heroic one, and they are honored as martyrs. In the poem ‘The Hero’ itself, Brother Officer speaks highly of Jack on the one hand and thinks of him as a ‘cold-footed, useless swine’ on the other hand. Besides, mothers whose sons die painfully not courageously feel proud of their sons. The poet rightly bears a critical attitude to the practice of attributing martyrdom to coward soldiers.           

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Is Jack a brave soldier in ‘The Hero’ by Siegfried Sassoon?

Soldiers who fight in a war far from their homes and near ones are different from the common run of men.  The words ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’ are associated with the image of a soldier. But, Jack is not a true soldier in terms of bravery and fearlessness. He is an ordinary person of flesh and blood with fear of death. He makes a lame excuse to go back home and tries to cross the trench. Then a mine explodes and blows him into pieces. Evidently Jack is not a hero as he lacks the essential qualities of a true solider.   

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Relevance of the Title: The Hero by Siegfried Sassoon

By the word ‘Hero’, we think of a brave and courageous person. Jack the protagonist (principal character) is glorified as a hero in the poem. But the close reading of the poem reveals that Jack is a ‘cold-footed, useless swine’. From this perspective the title of the poem sounds irrelevant and illogical. However, the title ‘The Hero’ is reflective of the poet’s satirical attitude to war. By giving such an ironical title the poet Siegfried Sassoon has exposed the truth of a soldier’s unpleasant death and satirized the tradition of glorifying a coward solider as a hero. So the title of the poem ‘The Hero’ is substantial and relevant.     

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Notes on ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost

Describe the two roads which Robert Frost had once come across 

Once the poet Robert Frost on the way of his journey, halted at a point where the road was divided into two. One of the roads was much trodden and therefore, it was rough. The other road was hardly trodden by anyone and so, it looked fair and was covered with green grass. To the poet the less trodden path was more luring than the much trodden one.  

Which of the two roads did Robert Frost choose? Why? 

The poet Robert Frost chose the road which was less trodden and covered with grass. Initially, the poet was full of doubts about that less trodden path because it might not be safe to walk on a less trusted path. The next moment he thought that he should take this road to reach his destination and it might make a difference in his life. The poet had the confidence and courage to meet the challenge of treading the path which was hardly walked on by any traveler. Indifferent to the fate and the future consequences, Robert Frost dared to go different from the common lot. 

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Explanatory Note on ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost

Synopsis of ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost

Once Robert Frost was confronted with a situation which required him to make a choice during his journey to a destination. At times in life, making a choice or decision is an uphill task, if there is more than one option and all the options seem to be luring. The poet had to choose one of the two roads in order to reach his destination. After a little toing and froing, he decided to choose the road which as less travelled and therefore, covered with grass. Initially, he had doubt if he would be able to reach his goal and come back safely. Then, he desired to go different from the common run of mill, and gathered courage to take the challenge of treading the less trodden path. In later life, the poet Robert Frost had no regrets for his decision. His choice made all the difference in his life. If he walked down the much travelled road, he would have to share the fate of the common lot. His choice was influenced by none but his mind and his insight into future. Therefore, the poet was happy about his decision. 

The kernel of the poem “The Road Not Taken” is that we face mental conflict while taking a decision at some or the other turn in human life, and that the way to get out of that mental conflict is only the right decision. To be facing mental conflict when time and situation require us to choose between two options is an integral part of human existence.   

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