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أكـاديـمـي نــشـط
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رد: المستوى الثالث سنه ثانيه للمتعثرات والمحولات
هذا تفريغ محاضرة د. مها سلام حقت العام ...
RASSELAS
chapter1
Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow; attend to the history of Rasselas prince of Abissinia.
The narrative voice in this paragraph is the second form of – person narration. It is related to the old form of writing= the oral story telling form. Long go, they wrote manuscript. The narrative voice used in many of those manuscripts was the second person narration. This form of narration is not common nowadays. It was only common in the old manuscripts and the oral story telling.
This form is used by Samuel Johnson in the 18th century people. He wanted to imitate the old style of manuscript. He is trying to write in a way similar to the manuscripts.
The purpose of this is to attract the attention of the audience. He wanted us to expect an old story that is set in the old times.
He is addressing the audience as if they are sitting in front of him. He wants us to pay attention and to listen to the story in which we find fancy and real life mixed together.
He is imitating the style of the old manuscript to make the readers expect a story that is of the ancient time.
The narrative voice in Robinson Crusoe is the first person narration.
Ye= old form of you. The narrator is addressing us who are listening to him.
He wants the readers to pay attention –he wants us to listen to the story of Rasselas. He is addressing especially the young people who have hopes and dreams to be fulfilled before they reach the old age.
In the first paragraph he gives us some of the themes. It introduces some of the themes.
There is a reference to the theme of hope of the youth. We have great hopes for the future. The old age is going to achieve these hopes.
He wants the young who hopes to fulfill their hopes in the future to listen to the story. These hopes may not come true or may not be achieved. In his story, he will show them that not everything they hope for when they are young, are going to be achieved when we get old.
Rasselas was the fourth son of the mighty emperour, in whose dominions the Father of waters begins his course; whose bounty pours down the streams of plenty, and scatters over half the world the harvests of Egypt.
The narrative voice changes. It becomes the third person narration. There is a shift. The second person narration is only used in the first paragraph.
He starts telling the story of Rasselas. He is going to tell his story from the moment of his birth to the end of his life.
The narrator is addressing the readers directly by using the second person narration. He wants to attract our attention and to show us that he is going to write and old story.
As soon as he moves to the next paragraph, he shifts the narrative's view point. He uses the third person narration. He continues using it for a number of chapters in the novel. He is telling the story of someone. He is giving us information about him.
He gives us information about Rasselas ' birth- who he is. He is the forth son of a mighty emperor of Abyssinia.
the Father of waters = the River Nile
Abyssinia is the source of the River Nile.
All this make us feel that it is the old style of life- not a modern one. We get the impression that it is an old story.
Why this is considered to be an old story?
He is using the second person narrative in the first paragraph like the old manuscripts. We have some of the old expressions like the Father of waters. This is the country where the River Nile originates.
It imitates the style of old novels.
According to the custom which has descended from age to age among the monarchs of the torrid zone, Rasselas was confined in a private palace, with the other sons and daughters of Abissinian royalty, till the order of succession should call him to the throne.
Abyssinia is in the centre of Africa. It is in a tropical zone. According to the customs, a prince or a son of a monarch, he is kept in a certain place with other sons and daughters of royalty till he becomes the king.
The place where the sons and daughters of the king are kept is like a paradise. Every thing they want , they found there- all types of plants, animals are there. They live in luxury.
All the sons and the daughters of the king are kept in a certain palace in a certain valley. They have many servants. Even the nature around the place is very rich. They have teachers to teach them.
Rasselas is one of the king's sons. They are keep there till the orders come to be the kings. They are never allowed to leave this place except when the time comes to succeed the king to the throne.
They live in a place like heaven on earth- paradise. Everything is available.
The palace where they live is in the middle of a valley. It is surrounded by very high mountains. They are very hard to climb. The only way to communicate with the outside world is through a small cave which has a gate which is never opened except once a year when the emperor himself pays the annual visit. The king comes to visit his sons and daughters once a year. During this annual visit many people are added to those who are inside- the actors- dancers- singers- teachers- they can entire this community. Whenever a person enters the valley, they never come out. The only one who can get out is the emperor himself. The people whom he brings to the valley just enter and they never return. Nobody is allowed to stay there and then go out except only the emperor.
Rasselas is our protagonist but not our narrator.
The difference between Robinson Crusoe and Rasselas is that Robinson is the protagonist and the narrator. It is the first person narration. Rasselas is just the protagonist. He is not narrating the story.
Another theme is freedom and the importance of freedom even one is a prince who lives in all the luxury, still he prefers to be free.
The setting: The time is of ancient time for a number of reasons. It is ancient- not in the 18th century.
If we to compare between the setting= the place and the time of the two novels:
Robinson Crouse is talking about the middle class of the 18th century England- Africa- Brazil= realistic places. The island is the main setting of the novel.
In Rasselas, the time is of the old times. The place is a valley in Abyssinia- it is an ancient name- even though the name of Abyssinia which is a real country , yet we do not feel that it is realistic to have such a valley because it seems to be like paradise on earth.
The place is a certain valley which is like Eden= like a paradise on earth. It is an imaginary place setting.
It is an exotic setting= strange and beautiful= like the description of the setting and the palace. Like الف ليلة و ليلة
According to the custom which has descended from age to age among= this shows that it is an ancient novel. He is talking about old ages, customs, traditions.
Rasselas was confined in a private palace, with the other sons and daughters of Abissinian royalty, till the order of succession should call him to the throne.
was confined= imprisoned.
He is kept in the palace till it comes his turn to the throne. The place, which the wisdom or policy of antiquity had destined for the residence of the Abissinian princes, was a spacious valley in the kingdom of Amhara, surrounded on every side by mountains, of which the summits overhang the middle part.
a spacious valley= very big wide valley
the kingdom of Amhara= ancient name- a place in Abyssinia. It was a kingdom at that time.
The valley is surrounded on every side by mountains. The only passage, by which it could be entered, was a cavern that passed under a rock, of which it has long been disputed whether it was the work of nature or of human industry.
This cavern through the mountain through which people will come to the valley was situated under a rock. He was influenced by the Arabian Nights. It was translated into English during the 18th century.
The outlet of the cavern was concealed by a thick wood, and the mouth which opened into the valley was closed with gates of iron, forged by the artificers of ancient days, so massy that no man could, without the help of engines, open or shut them.
It was impossible to pass from this palace to the outside world. The gates of iron were made by artificers of ancient days. These gates were very heavy, very big in size.
All this is to show us that it is impossible to get out of the valley to the outside world. It was like a prison. This is one of our themes- the theme of imprisonment. Even if the place is like a paradise where one can get all his desires, it could be like a prison. He does not have freedom. He is imprisoned.
Everything is there in the valley; even the wild animals but they do not hurt anyone. It is a very exotic setting. It is a place of total security or safety. There was a sense of security that was prevailing in the palace. This is the total opposite feeling of Robinson Crusoe.
It is not similar to the island of Robinson Crusoe. All the time he is afraid that he would be attacked by savages or beasts. He surrounded his habitation with a fence. He is never safe. He felt no feeling of security. He never enjoyed security and safety for a single moment.
Another point of difference is that Robinson was alone, solitude. He lacks human company. Rasselas is not alone at all. He has hundreds of people with him giving him company. He has brothers, sisters, servants, teachers, wise men, philosophers in the palace.
Robinson even after having Friday, he is still alone. He takes him as his slave.
At the end Robinson is rescued by a ship and he was safe.
Rasselas will try to find a method to escape from this palace in the valley. When he escapes, he has many adventures in the outside world.
There is also a similarity between this place and the place of Robinson Crouse. Both places are like prisons. Once he is on the island, he can never leave.
All nature and man are protecting this valley.
All the diversities of the world were brought together, the blessings of nature were collected, and its evils extracted and excluded.
It is a very important quotation He is still describing the palace. The palace has everything. Everything is living there in harmony. All the diversities= all the valuable elements, all the different elements of the world, all the luxuries are there. all the diversities are there but in harmony- in peace- no fighting, no quarrel between them. They are coexisting peacefully.
This quotation is explaining to us many things. It shows all the luxuries that are there. Everything which is evil is excluded. Although the palace has many features in it, but they are all living peacefully. The luxuries are the luxurious food, drink, entertainment in the palace. All these things were not there on Robinson Crouse's island. He was on an empty island, has no sense of security, all the time he is afraid that he would be attacked by savages or beasts. The island was a place where he could not find the necessities. He had to struggle in order to find fresh water to drink. He could not find the essential of eating except after much struggle. In the palace in the valley, there is everything even the luxuries. There are the things that they even dream with- things that are not found in real life. All the good was there. Evil is not allowed to enter the paradise. That is why he calls it a paradise. Evil is not supposed to enter it.
The quotation is important. It tells us many things about the setting. It tells us a very important comparison between this setting and the setting of Robinson Crusoe.
Such was the appearance of security and delight which this retirement afforded, that they to whom it was new always desired that it might be perpetual;
this retirement= a place where we go to relax , to be away from all the problems of life.
Those who come to this place from the outside world have the impression of having all he luxuries in the valley. They wish to live there for ever- like in paradise. They wish that it could be perpetual= continuous and as those, on whom the iron gate had once closed, were never suffered to return, the effect of longer experience could not be known.
Thus every year produced new schemes of delight, and new competitors for imprisonment.
The style: heis using ancient things, make reference to ancient times, refers to ancient times. He is saying things between the lines= the technique of hinting- he is using indirect hints. [you have to give examples from the novel]
Everyone who comes from outside the valley wishes that his life in the valley would be for ever. They never return.
He does not say directly that our hopes can be shuttered- not everything that we may hope for in our young age could be achieved.
This quotation is related to the fact that Samuel Johnson is using the technique of hinting. He is referring to many things that are said between the lines.
He is hitting to the fact that those people who enter the palace where the life is luxurious- like [paradise- they are not very happy. They are not allowed to go outside the palace. It is like a prison.
Not everybody in the palace is happy. He never said it openly. He is hinting. Since any one who enters the valley is never allowed to leave, no body knows happiness there. They are unhappy.
The style is not direct. It is full of hints.
The text is described as a moral allegory. Rasselas is like Adam living in Paradise
Robinson Crusoe is a realistic story and a moral allegory. Robison is like Adam living on that island.
Both books are moral allegory.
They are totally different. One of them Robinson Crusoe is a realistic novel, Rasselas is a totally imagined novel like the Arabian Nights.
Rasselas is considered a satire- making fun of human follies.
Rasselas is a novel, a molar allegory and a satire.
Robinson Crusoe is a realistic novel and a moral allegory.
Samuel Johnson is like a philosopher. The novel is like an explanation of his philosophy= how human are never happy when they are in a place like paradise. They want to escape it. He is realistic. He is showing a pessimistic view of life.
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