William Dane- A religious Man or not?

William Dane is one of the important character of Silas Marner.  Though he is a negative character but still his negativity reflects the positive qualities of Silas Marner. Without him the story of Silas Marner can't be interesting.  In the beginning of this novel we have seen that Marner and Dane were considered as David and Jonathan of Biblical character. Though both of them are bosom friends but Dane started feeling jealous from Marner's popularity.  That was the reason he decided to belittle Marner in the eyes of churchmen.  He constructed a master plan against Marner.  

Silas was suffering from epilepsy and often it was considered by the churchmen as spiritual visitation.  But Dane told Marner that it was not a sign of spiritual visitation rather it was the sign of Devil's visitation.  Marner felt very sad after listening the opinions of his brother like friend.  But he ignored it.  Later both Marner and Dane were appointed to take care of an ailing Deacon and his gold.  But Dane excused that he was feeling sickness.  Marner got another attack of epileptic fit and Dane took advantage of it.  He put Marner's knife on the Deacon's place and placed deacon's gold at Marner's dwelling.  He also killed deacon to fulfill his master plan.  

Because he backstabbed his brother like friend Marner, that's why we can say that William Dane was not a religious man but yes, he is one of the important character of the novel Silas Marner.

Therefore, it can be concluded from the above discussion that William Dane is one of the negative character of the novel Silas Marner but without him the story of the novel can't be interesting.  So in every kind of negativity there is some positiveness hidden inside.

Silas Marner

1. Character sketch of Silas Marner.

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2. What made the people of Raveloe superstitious about Silas Marner?

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3.  What kind of life was led by Silas during his early days at Raveloe?  Why  did he attract Jem Rodney's attention?

Answer:  Silas Marner is the main character of the Novel written by George Eliot.  Basically the story of Marner is related with the life of  Georage Eliot and she has tried to express herself with the help of the character of Silas Marner. In the beginning of the Novel we have seen that he was living his life in Lantern Yard where he was one of the respectable person and a churchman.  People often appreciate his goodness and his belief in God.  His best friend William Dane felt jealous of him because of his popularity.  Silas loved Sarah and wanted to marry with her but Dane wanted to belittle Silas so that he could marry with Sarah.  

     Marner had a disease i.e. epilepsy which was considered by people as the spiritual visitation due to their ignorance and inability to understand the disease.  Dane tried to prove that it was not spiritual visitation rather it was a Davil's visitation.  He criticized Marner that there is some evil in Marner's Mind that is why it happened with him.  

     One day Silas Marner and William Dane are appointed to take care of ailing Deacon and his Gold.  In the midnight Dane said that he had felt illness that's why he left the place.  Afterwords Marner got another attack of epileptic fit.  Dane took advantage of it and stole the gold and killed Deacon with Marner's knife.  Thereafter he put the knife and gold at Marner's dwelling.  Later Marner was proved to be the culprit for the stealing of gold and the death of deacon.  

    After getting the betrayal of bosom friend Marner decided to leave lantern yard.  He went to a place where no one knew him and started living a life of recluse.   Now the story of Marner's life shifted from lantern yard to a small village Raveloe.  Here he stopped interacting with others started doing the work of weaving.  Afterwards Marner was known as a recluse because he never talk with someone.  He talked only if had to talk about his supplies of clothes or money.

     Now no one knew him.  When the people of Raveloe had seen him in the attach of epileptic fit, they co-relate it with some supernatural power and Jem Rodney who lived near Marner's cottage considered it as if he knew how to leave the body and how to walk out of death.  That was the reason why Rodney attracted towards Silas Marner.  Due to his and the ignorance of the people of Raveloe they considered him  as a person having super-natural powers.  

     Silas had also learnt about the medicinal power of herbs from his mother and could offer cure for dreaded ailments like rheumatism.  This special quality of Silas further earned him a special and having some supernatural powers.  All these things made the people superstitious about Silas Marner.  

    

Not Marble not the gilded monuments- my perspective

The poem "Not marbles, Nor the gilded monuments," is one of the best poem written by William Shakespeare.  In this poem, he just wanted to convey his readers a message that the world is mortal and it can never remain the same.  

Same is with the body it can also not remain in the same condition.  When I read the first line of the poem Not marbles nor the gilded monuments then I found myself lost as if whatever I have done, will not be considered by anyone as if the great ones who had made great monuments for glory of their hollow pride then what can I be able to do because I am living a life of an insect.  No one knows me rather I am just a part of the crowd.  But then I thought that because I have written so much that's why it can be possible that the people of prospective society can also be able to know my ideas and thoughts. 

Perhaps they can remember me through my writings and it might be possible if it can be helpful for others.  

I don't consider Shakespeare a pessimist or a poet who shows the mortality of this world rather I consider him as a poet of immortality who is always having a faith that he will always alive in his work.  There is one more poem which is very similar to that one i.e. "Shall I compare thee to a summer day."  This is also a classic one as here also he just wanted to say that his poems will remain immortal and same is with the people who have been praised in the lines of Shakespeare's poetry.  

So, in the end, I would like to say that everyone should read William Shakespeare if they want to enjoy the immortality.  Just start with a small poem and the rest of the thing Shakespeare will do himself!

William Shakespeare a poet of knowledge and wisdom

Whenever we talk about William Shakespeare we can't remain stop to praise the wisdom of his poems and how he filled all of his work as a work of knowledge based on experience.  This is the point which makes him different from the other poets and playwright of English Literature because his main emphasis is to hit the reality with the extreme incidents.  

Most of his poems like Not marble, nor the gilded monuments, Fear no more, The Seven ages are talking about the mortality of this world but when we read "Shall I compare thee to a summer day" and "Not marble, nor the gilded monuments" then we realized that his work was different as he is not talking about mortality rather he is talking about the immortality hidden in his writing which is beyond time and age.  He just wanted to convey to his readers that his work and writing will keep remaining immortal as it didn't come under the domain of this world rather it is quite subtle and always be alive in the heart of his readers and society.  It seems he wants to talk to his successors and he is quite able to communicate with the society of the future with his writing. 

Though he had written all of his poems many years earlier but still now it represents the problems and solutions of our society.  But most of the time he didn't give a solution rather he just want from us to find the solution from his work and writings. 

So, in the end, I would like to say that Shakespeare is not only a poet of language rather he is the poet of knowledge and wisdom because language is just an instrument for him to express his knowledge and wisdom in a better way.  

Gulliver Travel - from my perspectives

One of the finest writing of Jonathan Swift in which he emphasized the human weaknesses and follies.  It is the art of his writing which so beautifully depicts that though we are considered as human beings but in actuality, we are worse than animals.  

He expressed it very excellently and marvellously in the fourth part of Gulliver Travel in which he showed horses to be more civilized than human beings or Yahoos.  

The third part of this novel also expressed that we are just creating troubles for ourselves through inventing new things due to our impracticability.  Here, he talked about the Laputans who live in a floating Island.  

All of the people of that island are particularly philosophers and don't know the ground reality.  He also satirized the present education system which is quite impractical and far from reality.  In the third part of this novel he just wants to say that experience based understanding is better than knowledge-based or idle thinking.  He straightforwardly wants to say here that true knowledge lies in experience-based understanding based on ground reality.  This particular incident ignites my memories of one of my teacher who taught me during my B.Ed. and M.Ed. He always emphasises the concept of pragmatism and most of the teaching methods I am using these days is just his imitation and I imitate him because his way of teaching is based on practical experiences as he always tries to give us reality-based examples during his teaching. It is my belief that whatever I have learnt regarding teaching is due to him.  Dr Pargat Singh Garcha who is not only a source of inspiration for me rather his way of teaching always inspires me to be the teacher like him. So whenever, I read the third part of Gulliver Travel the image of Pargat Sir came in my mind and a silent smile reflects on my face.  

Perhaps it reflects that I am deeply motivated by him during my B.Ed. 

Thus the third part of Gulliver Travel showed that practical knowledge is more useful in comparison to the theoretical knowledge. 

When I shift to the second part of Gulliver Travel then it seems here Swift wants to tell us that we people are becoming completely materialistic as in the second part we have seen Gulliver in the prison of a farmer and later that farmer use him as a source of earning money which straightforwardly puts a question here that we are losing the feeling of empathy, love and compassion.  And the first part of this novel depicts that though we are civilized and great intellectual giants but when we are talking about universal brotherhood and benevolence then we become Lilliputians.  

Here he uses a symbol of lilliputians because he just wants to say that we are completely self-centred just like the king of lilliputians who tried to kill Gulliver when he refused the command of the king not to kill the people of his native island.  

But still, the benevolence and empathy of the king of the native island towards Gulliver reflect that we can improve ourselves as all of us are human beings.

Friends this is my interpretation of the novel Gulliver's Travel.  I hope you like it.

Thanks.

Silas Marner - A Recluse of Raveloe (a critical analysis)

       One of the greatest Novel written by Mary Ann Evans (also named as George Eliot) reflects that any person can become isolated if he or she will be betrayed by his own loved one.  It also express the psychological needs should be satisfied as Adler a great psychologist said that one live once life just because to get praise and appreciation from the society.  Just like Adler, Jung also emphasized that human mind always seek the satisfaction of once on ego and when it never satisfied or over satisfied then they either become inferior and isolated or seems just like a recluse or become superior and tried to rule others.  Thus both of the situation is harmful for human mind.  If we critically analyzed the novel of George Eliot then we will find out that here she just want to say that it is we who decide how we want to live.  For example in Lantarn yard Silas is one of the reputed person and churchmen but when his epileptic fit was considered as the visitation of devil by his own best friend William Dane then he feel hurt and start thinking how his best friend can think about him just like this.  But latter he forgot it.  It reflects the belief and love of Silas towards his friend William Dane.  But when his own friend Dane took advantage of his epileptic fit and proved Silas as the culprit of killing the Deacon and stealing the Gold of Deacon then he recollects all of his past experience and came to the conclusion how his own best friend back stabbed him just because of Sarah the beloved of Silas.  He later realized that Dane also feel jealous due to the popularity of Silas amongst the people of Lantern Yard.  Thus the whole incident reflects that if we are not aware about our surrounding and became blind toward our own friends then our mind can create an unfavorable situation for us. Similarly when he went to Raveloe he became a recluse and stop talking anyone.  It shows as if he has lost his faith in humanity and God.  Now he spent most of the time in his Loom and did weaving just to substitute his faith with Golden coins.  But again Marner didn't take hold of his mind.  He is doing whatever the circumstance are forced to do.  That's why again he was looted by Dunstan Cass and now again he found himself in the darkness.  The biggest mistake which he has done that he tried to substitute the human love with the love of Gold which is not love rather lust.  He realized the warmness of love when he met Eppie first time in his cottage.  It is Eppie who helped Silas to take hold of his mind and later Dolly helps him to regain his faith in humanity and God.  
     Thus from the above points I can conclude that it is not the circumstances which change the human nature rather it is the human nature which change the circumstances.
Thanks
I hope it will be helpful for you.

SILAS MARNER: THE WEAVER OF RAVELOE (1985) - JENNY AGUTTER