2011- 1- 23
|
#970
|
|
أكـاديـمـي نــشـط
|
رد: المستوى الثالث سنه ثانيه للمتعثرات والمحولات
المحاضره الي بعدها ..
The sons and daughters of the emperor are kept in the Happy Valley. They are secluded from the outside world. They live in total seclusion from بمعزل تام the outside world. They are living in something like Paradise – paradise is supposed to be in heaven. They are living in paradise on earth-
The first chapter is all about description of the Happy Valley and the palace inside it. There is nothing dangerous or miserable inside the valley.
Certain changes are going to happen in chapter 2. Rasselas starts thinking. He starts to change. He starts having questions, to be curious about the outside world. He had instructors to tell him about the outside world. He has teachers and philosophers who teach him about the world. He can not be satisfied with what he has. He wants to have first hand knowledge- first hand experience. He wants to go and see by himself.
The two books- Robinson Crouse and Rasselas are emphasizing the human need to have first hand experience. Human beings are not satisfied with things that they are being told. All the time they need to try things.
The need to get first hand experience is the main theme in both the two novels. It seems to move the events. If Robinson had not had the curiosityفضول to know about the distant places of the world, he would have stayed with his father. If Rasselas had not been adventurous and curious فضولي enough to see what he could do, he would have stayed in the Happy Valley and would not have had all the adventuresمغامرات that form the whole book of Rasselas.
We have the concept of Tabula Rasa – what does it mean? It is like a human being at the beginning of his life like a blank sheet – whenever he gains experience, he is writing on this page. The more he lives, the more he has experience, the more he is writing on this page.
There were different points of views. Some philosophers agreed on this concept. They said that every human being is a Tabula Rasa at the beginning of his life. Then, this Tabula Rasa has the experience in life that he changes. Other philosophers did not agree. They said that even if a person is born, he knows something with instinctsغرائز.
Do you think that Robinson Crouse is a Tabula Rasa or not ? Why?
Do you think that Rasselas is a Tabula Rasa or not? Why? Give reasons for your answer.
Despite having everything in the Happy Valley, people there are not happy. They are described as prisoners. Despite all the elements that are there in the Happy Valley, there is unhappiness. Rasselas feels unhappy this is why he decided to leave the valley to the outside world. He is not satisfied with his life in the valley. This unhappiness is the motif that caused him to go and see the outside world. It is because of human curiosity, the desire for knowledge. He wants to have first hand knowledge. He does not want to get it from lessons. He wants to have his own experience in life.
The author hints to some things in chapter 1. these hints come true in chapter 2. He just hints that these people are living in luxuries, happily, having all sources for entertainment, but they are like prisoners. This is what happens actually in chapter 2. Rasselas starts having the feeling of boredom. He starts having discontent. He begins to question his teachers. He starts having this idea of escape. Most of the themes are in the first chapter. In the following chapters they are realized as we read along in the novel.
One of the major themes in the novel is the desire for first hand knowledge. The nature of happiness is another major theme. The novelist is a pessimistic. He thought that people can never be happy- there is no happiness on earth. Happiness is something allusive. Happiness has an illusive nature.
Samuel Johnson was mainly a philosopher- a man of ideas. He always thinks about the nature of things. Defoe was mainly a journalist. When he wrote his first novel Robinson Crusoe, he pretended that it was a real story.
In Rasselas the theme can be about the nature of happiness, the human desire to get first hand experience. This is something philosophical or serious. Johnson wrote many books about philosophy. This is the only book that can be considered as a novel. Some critics say that it is not a true novel; it is a book of moral allegory, philosophy.
One of the important themes in Rasselas is the theme of freedom.
The narrative voice of Rasselas is the third person narration. We have a narrator who is telling us about Rasselas. At the very beginning, in the first paragraph, is the second person narration when he is addressing his readers directly. He is calling the people to listen to him. It attracts the attention of the readers. It is like an imitation of the old manuscripts – like the Arabian Nights- Oriental Tales- these tales use the second narrative voice in order to tell the story to attract the reader's attention.
We have two narrative voices in Rasselas- the second and the third voice.
The narrative voice in Robinson Crouse is the first person narration. He is telling his own story. It has many advantages. It makes us believe what has been given to us is the true events that happened. It makes us near the style of the author. There is a sense of believing in this style, a sense of intimate or real distance between the readers and the writers.
We talked about the prose style in Robinson Crusoe.
The style of Rasselas
We have two different themes in the 18th century. People though that science will lead to human progress and happiness. This is one theme. The opposite theme was saying that science would cause weakness of morals, immorality. Morals are going to become weak because of the scientific progress. Immorality would lead to unhappiness. They were totally opposed two points of views.
In Rasselas, Samuel Johnson is making fun of- satirizing modern inventions- like those people who tried to have wings to fly- they break their necks and die. Johnson is making fun of scientific progress. He thinks that this progress will cause not happiness but immorality.
The book is a satire. It is a theme about the value of science that leads to immorality and unhappiness but it is part of the style because the style is satire. He is using the element of satire to make fun of people who believe that science equals progress and happiness. He wants to show that science leads to immorality and unhappiness. This satire element in the style of Johnson is included in his style. The style is not serious. He is using element of satire.
The novel has a loose structure- what came first and what came after.
When we read the title we start to imagine that it may be a book about an imaginary tales- a tale in the exotic place like the Arabian Nights- this is what happens as soon as we read the word Abyssinia.
The first part of the novel is when he is in the palace. As soon as he escapes and begins his adventures, we can read any chapter before the other because they are a number of adventures- very loose structure. It does not follow a sequence. It is the same as Robinson Crouse. It is not in sequence, not in order. There is no sequence in the structure of Robinson Crusoe. The events are not ordered. We can read any adventure before the other.
We have the story of all the sons and daughters of the emperor living in the happy valley. Then one of them decides to escape. He meets a man who tells him something- we have a story within the story- like the Arabian Nights.
He is telling us that here is no happiness at all.
The nature of happiness , the desire for first hand knowledge , the desire for freedom are the major themes in the novel
|
|
|
|
|
|