merchant muskan major;2 assignment class, home essay.

Class assignment;Discuss about metaphysical poet.

What is metaphysical poetry?

Ans. 👉🏻Metaphysical poetry is a style of 17th-century English verse characterized by its highly intellectual, witty, and analytical approach to deep human themes like love, religion, morality, and existence.

The Metaphysical Conceit: 

This is the defining feature of the genre. It is an elaborate, highly unusual comparison between two completely unrelated things. For example, a poet might compare two separated lovers to the two legs of a mathematical drawing compass, or the union of two people to a tiny flea that has bitten them both.

Intellectual Wit:

These poems are not just outpourings of pure emotion. They read like intellectual puzzles or legal arguments. The poet uses strict logic and philosophy to persuade the reader (or their lover).

Scientific and Global Imagery:

Writing during the Age of Discovery, these poets rejected standard mythological references. Instead, they packed their poems with concepts from astronomy, alchemy, mathematics, cartography, and medicine.

Embracing Paradox:

They loved using paradoxes—statements that seem self-contradictory but reveal a deeper truth—to illustrate the complex, conflicted nature of faith and romance.

🏛️ WHO WROTE IT?

The term "metaphysical" was actually invented long after the poems were written by the 18th-century critic Samuel Johnson, who used it to describe a loose group of writers. The most famous among them include:

John Donne is widely recognized as the father and founder of metaphysical poetry. 

~John Donne: The undisputed leader of the style, famous for his intense love poems and dramatic religious sonnets.

~George Herbert: A holy poet who used intricate wordplay and visual structures to explore his relationship with God.

~Andrew Marvell: Known for his clever, philosophical meditations on time, nature, and romance. 

• Discuss the metaphysical conceits used by JOHN DONNE in the Canonization.

Ans. 👉🏻 In "The Canonization," John Donne uses metaphysical conceits—elaborate, intellectually rigorous analogies linking human love to the realms of commerce, science, and theology—to argue that romantic love is sacred and transcendent. Donne crafts these unexpected connections to elevate a deeply intense, secular passion into something divine and worthy of sainthood.

The core metaphysical conceits in the poem transition from worldly arguments to spiritual transformation, structured around three major thematic threads.

 Home assignment ;

Write a note an realism.

Explain one of the Tolstoy story on it.

👉🏻 Realism is a literary and artistic movement that emerged in the mid-19th century, aiming to depict contemporary life and society exactly as they are, without romantic idealisation or supernatural elements.

🔸 What is realism?

Instead of focusing on heroic figures, grand myths, or emotional extremes (which were common in Romanticism), Realism shines a light on everyday, middle- and lower-class characters dealing with ordinary, often harsh, realities.

Tolstoy’s realism plays a fascinating role in both contexts, particularly through his short story/parable "Father Sergius", which directly critiques the traditional, religious concept of canonization and sainthood.

The Story: "Father Sergius"

In "Father Sergius", Tolstoy uses his trademark realism to dismantle the romanticized, legendary idea of Christian saints and official church canonization.

1. The Plot: The story follows Prince Stepan Kasatsky, a proud, aristocratic military officer with a brilliant future. When he discovers that his fiancée was previously the mistress of the Tsar, his pride is shattered. He abruptly quits his high-society life, cuts ties with the world, and enters a monastery, taking the monastic name Sergius.Sergius spends years striving for absolute spiritual purity and battling the sins of the flesh and pride. He becomes famous for his piety, is forced into isolation as a hermit, and eventually gains a widespread reputation as a holy healer. Crowds flock to him, and the institutional church begins viewing him as a living saint—primed for formal canonization.

2. The Realist Deconstruction of Sainthood: 

Instead of presenting a glowing hagiography (a idealized biography of a saint), Tolstoy uses harsh realism to show Father Sergius’s internal torment:

The Illusion of Piety: Sergius realizes that the more the public and the church praise him as a saint, the less actual faith he feels. He is constantly fighting intense lust and deep spiritual pride.

The Falling Point: His "sainthood" completely collapses when he gives in to temptation and sleeps with a fragile, young woman who comes to him for healing.

3. True Sanctity vs. Church CanonizationRuined and deeply ashamed, Sergius flees into the wilderness. He has a dream that directs him to seek out Pashenka, a simple, impoverished woman he knew in his childhood.

When he finds her, he discovers that she lives a grueling, thankless life: she is constantly abused by her husband, works tirelessly to feed her family, and is considered a failure by society. Yet, she acts out of pure, unselfish love without expecting any reward.

Sergius has a massive realization: Pashenka is the true saint, while his own "saints' life" was just an act to satisfy his pride. He becomes a nameless, traveling vagabond, wandering from place to place, doing quiet acts of good without any desire for institutional recognition.

Explain the story of "Selfishness to selflessness."

Ans. 👉🏻 

Essay assignment:

Slide 1: Title Slide

THE SELFISH GIANT

By Oscar Wilde

A Story of Selfishness to Selflessness

Slide 2: About the Author

- Name: Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

- Famous Irish writer

- Known for fairy tales and moral stories

- This story is from his book "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" (1888)

Slide 3: Main Characters

1. The Giant - Selfish at first, kind later

2. The Children - Symbol of innocence and joy

3. The Little Boy - Symbol of Jesus Christ / Love

4. The Garden - Main place of the story

Slide 4: Summary - Part 1 (The Selfish Giant)

- Giant has a beautiful garden. Children love to play there.

- Giant returns after 7 years and says: "MY garden, no one can play here!"

- He builds a high wall.

- Result: Spring does not come. Garden remains in Winter - Snow, Frost, Hail and North Wind live there.

Slide 5: Summary - Part 2 (The Change)

- One morning, children enter through a hole in the wall. Spring returns with them.

- Giant sees one corner still in winter - a small boy cannot climb the tree.

- Giant's heart melts. He helps the boy.

- Giant breaks the wall and says: "This garden is now the children's playground forever."

Slide 6: Summary - Part 3 (The Ending)

- Years pass. Giant becomes old and weak.

- He sees the same little boy under a tree with wounds on hands and feet.

- The boy says: "Today you will come with me to my garden, which is Paradise."

- Next day, Giant dies under the tree covered with white blossoms.

Slide 7: Moral & Themes

~Main Moral: Selfishness brings loneliness, sharing brings happiness.

~Themes:

    1. Importance of Selflessness

    2. Innocence of Children

    3. Forgiveness and Redemption

    4. Cycle of Seasons = Cycle of Life

Slide 8: Conclusion

- The story teaches us that true happiness lies in sharing.

- Walls keep people out, but also keep happiness out.

- A very relevant story for today's selfish world.