Poetry and Poststructuralism: An AI-Powered Analysis

This blog is written as a response to a task assigned by Dilip Barad sir, Department of English MKBU. This blog is about deconstruction and post-structialism. With help of chat-gpt two poems are written and that poems are deconstructed. For the deconstruction background information is also provided through various sources. For further info click here.

This is the first poem generated by chat gpt:

Whispers of Existence

In the quiet corners of the mind,

Where shadows dance and whispers blend,

Questions rise like morning mist,

Life's purpose, a fleeting friend.

Stars above, indifferent, cold,

Witness to our fleeting plight,

Existence, vast and uncontrolled,

Eclipses day, embraces night.

Moments pass, a breath, a sigh,

Time's relentless, ceaseless flow,

In the mirror, we wonder why,

Reflections fade, yet we grow.

Seek meaning in the chaos spun,

In the void, where echoes sing,

Existence is the only one,

To which our yearning hearts cling.

Image related to the poem generated by Gemini Ai

Deconstruction done by Chat gpt:

Deconstructing "Whispers of Existence" using Peter Barry's Method

Verbal Stage

At the verbal stage, we identify contradictions and paradoxes at the level of individual phrases and words.

1. "Life's purpose, a fleeting friend":

   - Paradox: The term "purpose" suggests a stable, enduring goal or meaning, while "fleeting friend" indicates something temporary and unreliable. This contradiction highlights the instability of life's meaning.

2. "Stars above, indifferent, cold":

   - Contradiction: Stars are often associated with guidance and constancy, yet here they are described as "indifferent" and "cold," undermining their traditional positive connotations and suggesting a universe that is unresponsive to human concerns.

3. Reflections fade, yet we grow":

   - Paradox: Growth typically suggests progress and accumulation, but here it occurs simultaneously with fading reflections, indicating a contradiction between development and decline.

Textual Stage

At the textual stage, we look for shifts or breaks in the poem’s continuity, which reveal instabilities of attitude and lack of a fixed position.

1. Shift in Focus and Tone:

   - The poem shifts from internal contemplation ("In the quiet corners of the mind") to an external, cosmic perspective ("Stars above, indifferent, cold"). This movement from personal to universal creates a discontinuity, reflecting the instability of the speaker's perspective.

2. Temporal Shifts:

   - The poem moves between moments ("Moments pass, a breath, a sigh") and larger spans of time ("Time's relentless, ceaseless flow"). This juxtaposition of immediate experience with the vastness of time emphasizes the instability and fleeting nature of existence.

3. Attitudinal Shifts:

   - The poem vacillates between a sense of purposelessness ("Life's purpose, a fleeting friend") and a quest for meaning ("Seek meaning in the chaos spun"). This shift in attitude underscores the conflicting emotions and the lack of a unified stance towards life's meaning.

Linguistic Stage

At the linguistic stage, we examine moments when the adequacy of language as a medium of communication is called into question.

1. Implicit Reference to Language's Unreliability:

   - The line "Seek meaning in the chaos spun" suggests that meaning is something that must be actively sought out and is not readily apparent. The use of "chaos" implies that language and life are inherently disordered, questioning whether stable meaning can ever be achieved.

2. Contradictory Phrasing:

  "Existence, vast and uncontrolled, / Eclipses day, embraces night." Here, the personification of existence as something that can "eclipse" and "embrace" attributes intentionality to an abstract concept, highlighting the slipperiness of language in attempting to convey complex ideas.

3. Evocation of Silence:

   - The poem’s imagery of "quiet corners" and "whispers" evokes a sense of silence and subtlety, suggesting that what is most significant may be beyond words. This implicitly questions the ability of language to fully capture the nuances of human experience.

Conclusion:

By applying Peter Barry's method of deconstruction, we uncover the inherent contradictions, shifts, and questioning of language in "Whispers of Existence." The poem’s exploration of life's meaning reveals an unstable and fragmented reality, reflecting the core principles of post-structuralist thought. The deconstructive reading shows that what seemed like a coherent meditation on existence actually contains multiple layers of conflict and ambiguity, illustrating the poem’s resistance to a singular, stable interpretation.

Second poem generated by Chatgpt:

Eclipsing Silence

In the stillness of the final breath,  

When whispers fade to solemn night,  

Death arrives on quiet wings,  

A shadow cast by waning light.

Memories linger, soft and sweet,  

Echoes of a life once bright,  

In the silence, hearts still beat,  

Bound by love, in death’s twilight.

Leaves fall, a silent symphony,  

Nature's cycle, birth and end,  

Death, the ancient alchemy,  

Transforms the foe into a friend.

In the dark, we find our peace,  

In the void, a calm embrace,  

Death, the great and final release,  

A journey to a boundless space.

Image generated by Gemini Ai related to the poem

Deconstruction done by Chat gpt:

Let's deconstruct the poem "Eclipsing Silence" using a more generalized poststructuralist

Deconstructing "Eclipsing Silence"

Identifying Contradictions and Paradoxes

- "When whispers fade to solemn night":

  - This line suggests a transition from sound (whispers) to silence (solemn night). The paradox lies in the idea that something as ephemeral as a whisper can fade into something as profound as night, blending sound with silence.

- "Death arrives on quiet wings":

  - The concept of "quiet wings" is paradoxical because wings typically signify movement and sound, yet here they are quiet, suggesting the silent and unnoticeable arrival of death.

- "In the silence, hearts still beat":

  - The line creates a contradiction between silence and the life-affirming act of a heartbeat, juxtaposing death's stillness with the persistence of life.

Exploring Binary Oppositions

- Life vs. Death:

  - The poem consistently juxtaposes life and death, with lines like "Memories linger, soft and sweet" (life) against "Death, the great and final release" (death). This opposition highlights the tension between existence and non-existence.

- Sound vs. Silence:

  - The interplay between sound ("whispers," "symphony") and silence ("quiet wings," "stillness") underscores the paradoxical nature of death as both a cessation of life and a continuation in another form.

- Light vs. Darkness:

  - References to "waning light," "solemn night," and "twilight" contrast light and darkness, suggesting a shift from life (light) to death (darkness), while also implying that darkness (death) has its own form of peace and significance.

Examining the Role of Language

- Ambiguity of Language:

  - Phrases like "Death, the ancient alchemy" suggest transformation and mystery, indicating that language struggles to fully encapsulate the essence of death. This highlights poststructuralism’s view of language as fluid and unstable.

- Metaphorical Language:

  - The use of metaphors such as "quiet wings" and "silent symphony" exemplifies how language creates meaning through associations rather than direct representation, reflecting the poststructuralist idea that meaning is not fixed but constructed through language.

Reader's Role in Meaning-Making

- Interpretive Flexibility:

  - The poem's imagery and metaphors invite multiple interpretations. For instance, "Death, the great and final release" can be seen as either a peaceful end or an escape from suffering, depending on the reader’s perspective. This aligns with Belsey's view that meaning is not inherent but produced through the interaction between text and reader.

Conclusion

Using a poststructuralist lens, we see "Eclipsing Silence" as a text rich in contradictions, binary oppositions, and metaphorical language that defies singular interpretation. The poem embodies the instability of meaning central to poststructuralist thought, illustrating how language constructs complex and multifaceted understandings of concepts like death.

Here is full conversation with Chatgpt:

https://chatgpt.com/share/8a71436a-c2ff-4580-a224-540ed14f74a7

What's in a name?

This blog is written as a response to a task assigned by Vaidehi ma'am, Department of English MKBU. In this blog the importance of name and meaning of my name are discussed. For further info click here.

What is your name? What is the meaning of it?

Ans.

My name is Yashraj. It means King of fame or glory.

What qualities commonly linked with your name do you believe reflect your attributes?

And. 

With the Yashraj name following qualities are linked: ambition, leadership, charisma, confidence and respect. Confidence and respect are the attributes that I find reflecting in my name.

Why do you think the name is important?

The name is important to give different identities to people, to differentiate with others. For calling someone we require a name. Through name people can remember us for long time.

An Astrologer's Day

This blog is written as a response to a task assigned by Megha ma'am, Department of English MKBU. In the task students are supposed to read story An Astrologer's Day and a short film made on the story. There are some changes that are discussed in the blog. In later part R. K. Narayan's short story 'Crime and Punishment' and related examples also discussed. For further information click here.

How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

There are many differences between the original short story and short film. 

In the short story it is described that the Astrologer does his business with the light of a nut seller that sells nuts beside Astrologer but at night we don't find the same in short movie.

In the short story there is no description about the wife before the last scene but in the short film there is a scene in which Astrologer and his wife talk about the sweet and their child.

In the short story the name of the astrologer's wife is not mentioned but in the short film the name is given, that is Usha.

In the short story R.K. Narayan doesn't mention the gender of the child but in the film it is shown that he has a girl child.

In the story when Guru Nayak meets Astrologer gives ashes to him but in the short film he does Tilak to him.

The major change that we find is that the short story is originally written in English whereas the short film is in Hindi.

At night the green light is missing in the film that is mentioned in the short story.

In the short story astrologer gets anna as a reward but in the film it is in rupees.

The dialogue between and his other customers is added in the short film.

After watching the movie, has your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

The setting that described in the short story feels little different from the short story description. Character description and dialogues have some changes but it is improved according to the contemporary setting.

Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If not, can you explain with reasons?

Personally, I didn't feel aesthetic delight because before watching a short film I knew the story. I read the short story before so I didn't get that level of delight but it was well made, and watching a visualised version of the short story invoked some emotion. It also gave a better understanding of the story and characters.

Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the short story?

Yes, It gave me better understanding of characters, plot and setting. 

Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?

The turning point in the story that occured when an astrologer meets Guru Nayak. That scene is nicely performed in the short film. That shows the facial expressions and heat.of the conversation in the story.

If you are the director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K.Narayan?

I would like to change some scenes and add more background understanding of the characters in the film. 

(2) Crime and Punishment

Write a blog on Exploring the dynamic roles of teacher and student: Crime and Punishment by R.K. Narayan. Give some suitable examples of movies, novels, short stories, videos, and articles related to the major themes of this story.

In the short story written by R.K.Narayan one can find the role of a teacher and a student. In the story it was beautifully portrayed what type of behaviour students and teachers do. In the short story there is the psychology of a child that can be studied. In the story, there is a student who does not like to study. Generally that is the story of most of the children in the world. And children are also not made for that also. They like to play and learning should happen with playing otherwise it would be quite difficult to teach the student. In the story we can also find how parents feel about their child, they want to make children study so many hours a day.

The major theme in the short story that can be observed is the relation between students and children. The same theme we find in various movies. The glorious example is taare Zameen par, in the movie there is a story of a boy who has dyslexia and he was not able to get good marks as his brother. The parents decide that he should be sent to boarding where a strict environment can make him study, but in the boarding school he suffers more. Then the teacher Nikumbh enters the boarding house and saves Ishaan from his loneliness and depression. There one can find the role of a teacher in students' lives. 

Another great example is Anne Sullevan, a teacher of Helen Keller. Helen Keller became blind and deaf at a very young age due to some illness and then Anne Sullevan taught her to read and understand the surroundings. There are various movies that are based on this real life example like Miracle Worker(1962) and in bollywood there is a movie Black(2005) that is also inspired by the life of Helen Keller. 

There is a movie Hichki(2018), that is also about a teacher who suffers from Tourette syndrome, decides to be a teacher. She was rejected by different schools because of her syndrome. Then she got a job in a school in which the class of 9F was very notorious, firstly she failed to gain students’ trust but eventually she succeeded. The movie highlights the bond between the teacher and students. Another movie is The Ron Clark Story(2006) a television movie, starring Mattew Perry. He gets a job at a school where children are not excited for studies and notorious. He gains the trust of the students and makes them all pass with good grades. The movie also portrays the struggle of the teacher. 

Words: 1330

Sunday reading: Socrates- Life and Trial

This blog is written as a response to a task assigned by Dilip Barad sir, Department of English MKBU. In this blog there is discussion about Socrates. In the task students has supposed to watch four video and write down their understanding of the videos in the blog. For further information click here.

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived in Athens around 470 to 399 BC. He's considered the founder of Western philosophy and one of the first thinkers to focus on ethics. Unlike many philosophers, Socrates didn't write down his ideas; we know about him from writings by his students Plato and Xenophon. They wrote dialogues, where Socrates and others discuss ideas through questions and answers. This created a style called Socratic dialogue.

There are different views on what Socrates believed because of these writings, making it hard to know his exact philosophy—the "Socratic problem." In Athens, Socrates was controversial. In 399 BC, he was accused of disrespecting the gods and influencing young people negatively. He was found guilty after a quick trial and chose to die rather than flee from prison, where he was held until his execution.

In this video there is a discussion about the life of Socrates. The video starts with saying of Socrates “Crito, I owe the sacrifice of a rooster to Asklepios”. In the end of the video we get an answer to that. He was a soldier and how he became the philosopher here is a wonderful story. One person went to the oracle and asked who was the most intelligent man in the world and the answer was socrates. When Socratese got to know about that and started asking people about what they know and then he emerged the new method that is called “Socratic Method”. The quote of him ”The unexamined life is not worth living” says a lot about his character and knowledge. The disputes with 30 Tyrants episode also give the essence that he was not afraid of anything he was rather ready to give his life for the truth. His death also remains the wonderful episode that he also wanted to know about. That is why he praised Asklepios that life was a disease and he gave liberty from it. So he was also asking the question of death and the afterlife. He thought that those are the fools who are afraid of death. Beauty competition episode also gives the insight of his way of thinking, which changes the whole concept of beauty by asking the question about it. And at the last Cicero’s view on him “Socrates was the first to call philosophy down from the heavens”.

In the second video the technique is rather different, there is a first person explanation about his story and that is Socrates himself while he was in the jail of Athens. He told the background story. The first thing in his teaching is to be sceptical ,don't believe in something that is told, always ask questions to know more, or to find the truth. There are two metaphor that is used in the video those are tree and a stone, stone is static while the tree is a always growing and for growing one has to ask the questions. There is a question about the virtue and love so what do we mean by the virtue and love then how can we love someone or be virtuous for the gods. It would become a repetition of the words rather than any meaning of it. There is also a reference of his disciple Plato, Plato’s disciple Aristotle, Alexander the great and the Roman empire. Throughout the generation his knowledge system was spread across the world until the Dark Ages came and his knowledge stopped spreading, But after the Renaissance period his method was again adapted by the people. The quote that is mentioned in the video I liked “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”.

The third video is about the book by Plato “Apology”. The word apology does not mean to apologize but it is to defend. In the video there is a detailed analysis of the last trial of Socrates, and by line to line we get to know about the defence that Socrates gave in the jury. Here we can also find that during that time there is a democratic law system that is rather good then the monarchy where the king takes decisions alone. Socrates first accused those who say that he is wise. He says that he is ot wise and he only knows that. The very good quote “ When I do not know neither do I think I know.” The wonderful thing we find in the video is that Socrates is not afraid of death and he says that he would continue the same work after death that he was doing when he was alive. His only purpose is to know the truth, not taking anything else that is said is true. So he says that after death he would do the same thing. He also takes death positively, which is a rare thing to see because whenever we look at death we look at it negatively but he shows the immense possibilities after death also. He says "That a good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, that his affairs are neglected by the gods”. At his last time he is not angry with people but he gives the message that always questions the people who killed the innocent. 

The fourth video is from Ted.ed that makes animated videos to make learning fun. In the Socrates's method it is likely to be seen that he does no do a debate nor is he give advise, he just  asks more questions from the answers. In the example we find the conversation between Euthydemus and Socrates about justice, in that conversion we find that Socrates evokes the knowledge of others by asking more and more questions. He describes himself as a midwife who gives birth to other’s ideas through inquiry. His method is now used in various fields like medical science, astronomy, mathematics, law and teaching in school. His reasoning is useful in logical discussion and to get to the roots of the problem or the truth.

Words: 998

How to Deconstruct a Text

This blog is written as a response to a task assigned by Dilip Barad sir, Department of English MKBU. In this blog there is brief introduction of Derridean deconstruction theory. 

Deconstruction Theory is given by Jacques deridda, the theory is also known as Derridean theory. It emerged in the 1960s, and has influenced many other academic fields like history, philosophy, literature, anthropology and so on. 

It came after the theory of structuralism, which studies the structure of language and culture. Derrida critiques its rigidity and gives the concept of Deconstructionism. Mostly deconstructuralism is all about trying to find new meaning that is different from the conventional one. According to Derrida the language is free play and one can give so many meanings to the words. Deconstruction happens only from the text itself. 

The meaning of the words changes with the different context. So one can read a language in two different ways and it could be vice versa. For example this quote “The pioneers have to take arrows in their back”. If we look at this sentence that says metaphorically, one who does some good work others would try to draw him back because of jealousy. 

However If we see it historically then that is connected with American History. When colonization happened and the colonizers were enriching their boundaries in America. Native people were fighting against them to save their land with bows and arrows. So the two different meanings can be seen in a sentence. 

Let’s try to apply this theory in three different poems: 

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

By William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, 

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Analysis:

The poem is celebrated in British culture wildly. The traditional meaning that is associated with the poem is lover expresses his lover to his beloved through comparison of summer’s day. But in the deconstruction we try to look at it with different lenses. We try to find various meanings of the text from within the text. When the post-structuralist theory is applied, one has to look at it as what is the centre or main point in the poem. 

In the conventional way the centre is the lover if one looks at it differently so there are words like “I” that mean that there is also importance of the poet. It seems like there is a condition if the “I’ write the poem then and then the lover would become eternal. In another dimension if we see then there is a line “When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:” In this lion the importance is given to the poem itself. So there are various meanings that are there in the text, deconstruction theory just try to see it and find it with a new approach.

Ezra Pound’s poem ‘On a Station in the Metro’

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Analysis: 

In the poem firstly it seems that the poem is about the contrast between nature and the modern world. If we try to look at it differently then we find different interpretations. The word “apparition” seems to suggest the anonymity of the people in the crowd,while in the second line we find the image is clear the petals are visible on the black bough. 

One can connect it with the Modernist poem and it can be connected with various other modern works of literature. One can also find the binaries of present and absent. The ghostly faces are not present and in other images petals are visible. On one side there are human beings and the other side there is nature. At the metro station there would be lots of noise that is missing ith the poem.

William Carlos William’s ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

Chickens

Analysis: 

The red wheelbarrow poem firstly seems about a farm where there is a wheelbarrow and chickens. When one deconstructs the poem then we find that the poem seems rather superficial. The wheelbarrow is used in farms that should be filthy with mud but it seems rather clean and glazed with rain water, it rather seems that the picture is not real but taken from some book. 

There only the wheelbarrow seems more colourful and neat. This image hides the real struggle of the farmer, it seems different from reality. The present in the poem says that is not present in the poem, that is reality of country life is missing from the poem. We also find the binaries of country and city life.

Words: 850

References: 

Barad, D. (2023, July 23). How to Deconstruct a Text. Bhavngar, Gujarat, India: DoEMKBU YouTube Channel. Retrieved 7 3, 2024, from https://youtu.be/JDWDIEpgMGI?si=WnmtixfH9lFYj-bJ

Ketkar, S., & Barad, D. (2012, July). Derrida and Deconstruction: Short Video Playlist. Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India: DoE-MKBU YouTube Playlist. Retrieved 7 3, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSmZQVxjN9_igmTIuaOKYkmb-mT3H6wDx

Pound, E. (1913, April). In a Station of a Metro. Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. Retrieved 7 3, 2024, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12675/in-astation-of-the-metro

Williams, W. C. (1938). The Red Wheelbarrow. In C. MacGowan (Ed.), The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams, Volume I, 1909-1939. New Directions Publishing Corporation. Retrieved 7 3, 2024, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45502/the-red-wheelbarrow