Titlu: Being versus becoming (evolution)
Nume autori și titluri opere: Daniel Defoe-Robinson Crusoe, William Blake-Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Jane Austen-Pride and prejudice
I think the most appropriate for these works is the evolution as the theme because all the characters are at the beginning in a way, and during the works they evolve. Robinson Crusoe for example, he goes through a huge change after he is being shipwrecked on a desert island. The life away from civilization, without food, without living conditions and without normal occupations totally changes Robinson's life. From his desire to sail, overcoming the wishes of his parents, he ends up leading a life that no human would ever think about. The protagonist could have had a negative evolution, but he keeps his mental health by counting the days and weeks, making a living with the few materials he had. For him, evolution means being hardened, it means the difference between the young man eager for adventure and what he later became, a man who experienced a trauma, not knowing if he will ever be saved.
Robinson Crusoe is a guide for youth about to embark on Life’s journey. It belongs to the puritan guide tradition Viewed as an ordinary human being–an Everyman–in spiritual as well as physical and mental strength, Crusoe becomes, rather than a model of perfection, an example of human accomplishment made possible by God’s providence. Before conversion, Crusoe is preoccupied with things... After conversion, he transforms an emblem of human sacrifice into a Friday, a convert. (J. Paul Hunter, 1966)
An evolution of feelings and relationships is also found in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, a book whose title has always made me wonder what the famous story might be like. Very directly, Jane Austen's book is really about pride and prejudice, specifically about mister Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice, they being the main characters. In a continuous rejection, the two characters get to know each other and overcome any prejudices, learning to overcome their own barriers too.
Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice are ‘psychologised’ by being recast as qualities of their individual minds that can be overcome by self-analysis, rather than aspects of their political identities as members of different classes.[…]As a romantic comedy, Pride and Prejudice is concerned directly with continuity, with the reproduction of a society and its values by a younger generation, despite the barriers placed in their way by established conventions and alliances. Jane marries Bingley, Elizabeth marries Darcy, despite the gap between their families in terms of wealth and status. In this way, like most romantic comedies, it legitimates the established order by showing it to be capable of absorbing the new. Pride and Prejudice makes the actual entailment of a particular estate the mainspring of its plot: it is because his family will not inherit Mr Bennet's estate on his death that finding husbands wealthy enough to maintain his daughters financially is such an urgent imperative. (Robert P. Irvine: Jane Austen 2005: 78-79, 126)
In another perspective, William Blake's poems are about being a child and becoming an adult, about evolving, presenting in a collection of forty-six poems the difference between two stages of life: the innocence and the experience, two stages representing an antithesis that can refer to both life and death, to be young and to be old, to be a child and to be an adult. Although the first part may seem quite childish, together, the two parts that make up this collection have a completely different meaning. In his poems, children are seen as innocent, pure humans and in the first part, we can observe their life, their fears, their thoughts, we observe the ways in which a child lives and how they change on their path to adulthood.
Only a child could have invented and combined such unimaginable eccentricities of innocence. [...] Here, the moral point of the poem is, that innocence is wholly ignorant, and sees no deeper than the shell of form ;experience is mainly malignant, and sees the root of evil and seed of pain under the leaf of good and blossom of pleasant things. (Algernon Charles Swinburne: William Blake A critical Essay 1906: 163)
Being versus becoming it is the idea of evolving spiritually, mentally and emotionally. These works prepare the reader for time travel, so to speak, throwing him away from childhood, into adulthood, from their own prejudices in new beliefs and changes meant to give a different way of thinking to the characters. Although from poems, to a love story and to the life of a shipwrecked man there is a long way and a huge difference, the three works are based on a journey, an adventure, an attempt, to go through life in order to change and to become mature. In Robinson Crusoe's long journey, he not only changes, but experiences something that will change him and transform his whole life, even if everything seems more like a punishment he must atone for.
How strange a chequer-work of Providence is the life of man! and by what secret different springs are the affections hurried about, as different circumstances present! Today we love what tomorrow we hate; today we seek what tomorrow we shun; today we desire what tomorrow we fear, nay, even tremble at the apprehensions of. This was exemplified in me, at this time, in the most lively manner imaginable; for I, whose only affliction was that I seemed banished from human society, that I was alone, circumscribed by the boundless ocean, cut off from mankind, and condemned to what I call silent life. (Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe 1719: 248-249)
Although some characters go through physical trials, characters like Darcy and Elizabeth go through mental trials, struggling with their own minds, trying to choose to make important decisions for their future. Each journey to evolution, whether physical or mental, aims to transform the characters and highlight in the end the way they have become. For example, mister Darcy tramples on his own pride and lets love dictate his choices, whether that means insisting and waiting for a woman, or asking her to marry him several times.
Darcy had walked away to another part of the room. She followed him with her eyes, envied everyone to whom he spoke, had scarcely patience enough to help anybody to coffee; and then was enraged against herself for being so silly!
“A man who has once been refused! How could I ever be foolish enough to expect a renewal of his love? Is there one among the sex, who would not protest against such a weakness as a second proposal to the same woman? There is no indignity so abhorrent to their feelings!” (Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice 1813: 238)
As Darcy, Elizabeth and Robinson change in unexpected ways, William Blake highlights everything in the two parts of his collection that follow the evolution of the human soul that has to go through pain and suffering, disappointment and more in order to be complete, to be a complex human.
Blake subscribes to no one dogma. He presents no ultimate ruths but leaves us to forge our own. He does attempt to awaken us to the responsibility of becoming alive to the best truths of which we are capable, but the poet detaches himself from the task of saying what those truths should be. (Gillham 1966: 5)
Although the first part may seem quite childish, together, the two parts that make up this collection have a completely different meaning. In his poems, children are seen as innocent, pure humans and in the first part, we can observe their life, their fears, their thoughts, we observe the ways in which a child lives and how they changes on their path to adulthood.
I was angry with my friend;/ I told my wrath, my wrath did end./ I was angry with my foe:/ I told it not, my wrath did grow./ And I waterd it in fears,/ Night & morning with my tears:/ And I sunned it with smiles,/ And with soft deceitful wiles./ And it grew both day and night./ Till it bore an apple bright./ And my foe beheld it shine,/ And he knew that it was mine./ And into my garden stole,/ When the night had veild the pole;/ In the morning glad I see;/ My foe outstretched beneath the tree. (William Blake: A poison tree, Songs of Experience 1794: 43)
I chose this poem as a quote because I think it is the most beautiful, the one that best depicts the image of an adult, of someone who evolved from being a child, from being friendly and innocent and came to know disappointment, enemies, betrayal and anger. Evolution is something that all people go through and it is inevitable, it is impossible for people to stay in one point of their lives, because every experience has a purpose and leaves a lesson behind. Usually, to go on the road of maturity and transformation, you need unexpected things. How Elizabeth had an aversion to Darcy in the beginning and would never have expected to fall in love with him, just as Robinson Crusoe would never have expected his love of sailing to bring him to a life far away of society, to meet cannibals and to become friends with one of them and how in Blake's poems the special things are those that help the evolution. The road to success and to happiness is full of obstacles. Being at one stage and becoming all that is above that stage takes time and effort. As people say, suffering lifts you up and helps you. Life is built in a balance, of two extremes, good and bad, because without one of them, we would not know how the other is. We can think also of Heaven and Hell, because in William Blake's poems we encounter a multitude of antitheses based on good and evil, like we find in life. I don't think Blake wanted to let us perceive the poems in our own way, but he wanted to show a difference between the two perspectives of life. Life is given to us and maybe we can change its course, as Robinson Crusoe hoped he could do or as he hoped that he could be helped.
Before I lay down, I did what I never had done in all my life - I kneeled down, and prayed to God to fulfil the promise to me, that if I called upon Him in the day of trouble, He would deliver me. (Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe 1719: 150)
I think that these three works are the most suitable for this theme that follows the changes and the course of life with all that this means. Pride and Prejudice it follows exactly the pride and prejudice that changes their being, their minds and their destiny, on a long road with ups and downs.
“Perhaps that is not possible for anyone. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule.”
“Such as vanity and pride.”
“Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride—where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.” (Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice 1813: 40)
But far from the negative aspects and suffering, life also presents happiness and positive parts, as we can see in Infant Joy by William Blake, o poem about childhood and pure happiness.
‘‘I have no name;/ I am but two days old.’’/ What shall I call thee?/ ‘‘I happy am,/ Joy is my name.’’/ Sweet joy befall thee!/ Pretty joy!/ Sweet joy, but two days old./ Sweet Joy I call thee:/ Thou dost smile,/ I sing the while; Sweet joy befall thee! (William Blake: Infant Joy, Songs of Innocence 1794: 18)
And the joy can also be recognized at the end of Darcy and Elizabeth's story after the waters had calmed down and everything became clear and their love was finally shared.
Elizabeth’s spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her.
“How could you begin?” said she. “I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?”
“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” (Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice 1813: 266-267)
Even the tragic story of Robinson Crusoe it came to a happy ending after years and years of solitude, of living a miserable life, always in danger, always away from humanity.
In the meantime, I in part settled myself here; for, first of all, I married, and that not either to my disadvantage or dissatisfaction, and had three children, two sons and one daughter. (Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe 1719: 485)
And just as everything is fine when it ends well, as I said, life means both good and bad, and in the evolution of a man, all are tried and encountered. We are lamb and tiger in turn, just as in Blake’s poems, sometimes good, sometimes bad.
When the stars threw down their spears,/ And watered heaven with his tears,/ Did he smile hid work to see?/ Did he who made the lamb make thee? (William Blake: Infant Joy, Songs of Experience 1794: 9)
Both Pride and Prejudice, Robinson Crusoe and songs of Innocence and of experience are very complex works that question the initiatory path of man. To be and to become is the general and main theme that underlies these works and it’s proves us that a man evolves in innumerable ways. All these famous writers managed to convey unimaginable emotions and feelings through these works. In each plan and in each perspective, the characters underwent changes, and we as readers accompanied them in their own story and we were a part of them, finding ourselves in them. William Blake managed to talk about life and divide it into two inevitable sequences, from the childhood innocence to the experience of adulthood. Jane Austen portrayed some human flaws that we all have, more or less, and modeled them in such a way as to ultimately form characters who have experienced many things. Daniel Defoe, with his story more or less possible to happen in reality, showed us the direction that man's dreams and ambitions can take and how he can think and how positive or calm thinking can solve everything, which reminds me of Johnny Depp's lineup from a movie: “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.” To evolve means to live, and to live means that we will be mentally defeated from time to time. But I think the most important thing is that every time we stand up and become our best variants. Being versus becoming is just an expression of what life means and what these famous writers wanted to convey through their works.
Lecturi plăcute, guys!😊
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