Assignment of Paper no. 4: Henry Derozio as a Social Reformer
Respected sir,
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Name: Rudrika Gohel
Respected sir,
To Evaluate my Assignment click here
Name: Rudrika Gohel
Course: M.A. English
Sem: 1
Batch: 2017-2019
Roll No: 38
Enrollment No: 2069108420180015
Submitted to: Smt.S.B.Gardi Department of English MKBU
Email Id: rudrikagohel97@gmail.com
Paper no: 4 IWE
Topic: Henry Derozio as a Social Reformer
Introduction:
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a social reformist. Derozio was charismatic educator, incorrigible rationalist. He was the initiator of the Bengal Renaissance and reformer of a conservative Hindu society. His influence on the social and intellectual life of Bengal. Amongst many Bengali intellectuals he is regarded as a Columbus who sailed the dark seas of antiquated knowledge and brought the spirit of critical inquiar to the youth of Bengal.
Henry Derozio as a Social Reformer:
➢ Early life
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was born on 18 April 1809 at Entally Padmapukur in Kolkata. He was an Indian poet and assistant headmaster of Hindu college, Kolkata. He was a radical thinker and one of the first Indian educator who brought western learning and science among the young men of Bengal.
At the age of 14 he quit school and joined his father's concerns. At Kolkata Darozio inspired by beauty of the bank of the river Ganga and he started writing poetry on that he was such great leader, who organised various protest movement, formation of societies and associations, religious reform movements which are all positive symptoms of a renaissance. Early years of his life was a milestone of achievements. He was loved by the young men of the Hindu community and equally hatred by the elders, conservative people, who did not accept him for his heretic activities. Darozio was actually involved in promoting the welfare of his Eurasian community and had begun editing the daily English newspaper.
➢ Literary works
Darozio was generally considered as an Anglo-Indian, being of mixed Portuguese descent, but he was fired because he has patriotic spirit for his native Bengal, and he was considered himself as an Indian. Derozio was perhaps the first nationalist poet of modern India.
Poems of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio:
1. "A Walk by Moonlight"
2. "Going into Darkness"
3. "Song of the Hindustanee Minstrel"
4. "The Harp of India"
5. "To my Native Land"
In his poem 'To India my Native Land', he wrote
My Country! In the days of Glory Past
'To India - my Native Land', poem written in 1828. It was first published in India. The poem is a Sonnet which is written as a tribute to the motherland of the author. Through the poem Derozio expresses his personal loss in the downfall of his country India. His poems are regarded through as an important landmark in the history of patriotic poetry in India.
Derozio says that the old days was worshipped like a deity. Poets are wonders when their glorious and eleganced country was enslaved of British empire. The author was also mentioned that the country has been humiliated and ashamed of herself grovelling in the dust. The poet has not capable to offer anything to his country to his country but he will dig into the past and he will try to sing of some parts of that great history which is no longer available to the younger generation.
The poet has used the words to hinting at past glory of India, words like 'halo' , 'deity' , 'worship'. The theme of the poem "To India - My Native Land" by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is one of lamenting the loss of national greatness. The loss is the splendor of India, which to the poet, is no longer a part the country's makeup. The poet says that India's glory is in its past, at the time of his writing in the first third of the 1800s. The poet further develops this theme of loss of national greatness by saying he wants to recover some artifacts of this greatness to show the world the former glory of India - to prove how fine the country really was before losing some of their national strength.
R. K. Dasgupta has written that Derozio’s sonnet ‘To India-My Native Land’ is “….The poetical expression of our new patriotism….when Derozio wrote these lines, there was no patriotic song in the Bengali language and not many songs composed several decades later seemed to echo the sentiments of these first poems of our nationalist airs…. its significance in the history of Indian patriotism is that it is more than paean of our ancient glory; it is also a vow of service to the country.”
'Fakeer of Jungheera', his next work was long narrative poem. It was a masterpiece creation of reflects the satipratha, cast system and religion. The poem deals with the theme of patriotism of love and the central theme of the poem is the ignoble and in human practice of 'sati' in the contemporary orthodox Indian society. Darozio satirised upon Indian society through this poem. In the beginning he remarked the bountiful embrace of mother earth,
The sun-lit stream in dimples breaks,
As when a child from slumber wakes,
Sweet smiling on its mother-there,
Like heavenly hope o'er mortal care!
Darozio was a social reformist who defied the antiquated ideas of superstition, suttee and idolatry. He challenge and condemned against the evil prevailing in the orthodox Hindu society. His 'The Harp of India' and 'To India- My Native Land' expressed the touch of English romantic poetry as well as his Indian nationalist thought besides revealed his high sense of patriotism.
The Bengal Renaissance:-
Derozio was linked us the history and social of early nineteenth century of Bengal. As we know that first few decades of nineteenth century, Derozio occupied. Calcutta city dominated by cast and religion.
The young Bengal movement in Indian history was the movement of the young radical thinker. Derozio started an academic association with his students in 1828. Im this association, he had done very well activities like, organised discussion and debates, which were attended by scholars. Among his short Poems there are several ballads such as the song of the Hindustanee Minstrel. His teachings which were pragmatic and rational, he was succeeded in organising young Bengal. He taught his students, ideas of freedom and thoughts.
Derozio taught them that you all have questioned upon the existing superstitious and age old benefits. He motivated his young Bengal members with his teachings of 'to live and die for truth'.
Patriotic poet:
Renaissance is the result of the impact of British rule. It is the awakening of national consciousness of people with new light and new thought. The light of Renaissance raised humanism in human minds. It encouraged people to learn philosophy for the rediscovery. The world with new outlook and also encouraged to learn western literature. It spreads the seeds of patriotism for national interest. The Henry Derozio's poem in English, we feel the spirit of patriotism.
Darozio had his passion for freedom and urge for to reform the social issues. He was a powerful catalytic agent of massive socio-cultural changes that look place under the influence of Renaissance. To understand Derozio's Poems, there was reflection of patriotism in his every poetic expression. He was known as the first 'Indo-Anglian' poet.
K. S. Ramamurthy in his introduction of his anthology- 'Twenty-five Indian poets in English' said "Indian poetry in English is said to have began with Henry Louis Vivian Derozio who was not only a poet but also a teacher of poet.
R. K. Naik remarks in his book 'A History of Indian English literature' - "A noteworthy feature of Derozio's poetry is its burning nationalistic zeal. Poems like 'To India-My Native Land' , 'The Harp of India' and 'To the peoples of the hindoo college' have an unmistakable authenticity of patriotic utterance which stamps Derozio as an Indian English poet who in truly a son of the soil".
As a teacher of poet, he taught his students the feeling of patriotism with his poem. His poem 'The Magnus Opus' vitalized the spirit of Renaissance and he was really a spreading a spirit of patriotism.
Derozio’s passions for liberty and patriotic inspiration are well expressed in his short poems. In the Hindu College he taught Greek history and the two epics of Homer. Greeks were his inspiration. Greece was a symbol of liberty, bravery and patriotism. In this glorious civilization emancipation was the only motto and patriotism was in there blood. Derozio’s short pomes – ‘The Greeks at Marathon’, ‘Address to the Greeks’, ‘Thermopylae’ and ‘Freedom to the Slave’ had the fire of patriotism.
Derozio was out and out an Indian patriot. Patriotism is the main inspiration in every vein of his poem. He is the first to sing of freedom that lights the altar of soul with everlasting flame. His poetic outburst in light of renaissance was most remarkable part of his patriotic feelings. He planted the seeds of patriotism in the minds of his pupils and his countrymen. His poems are really pregnant with patriotism and nationalism.
Conclusion:
Thus the Derozio who a versatile man. He was a inspiration for the youth and his influence an anti-institutional thinker was no less felt even today. His anti- Brahmin attitude was nothing but his anti-institutionalism like Shelly's Atheism propagated in Oxford University in the teeth of all opposition.
Reference:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_India_-_My_Native_Land
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Vivian_Derozio
https://www.poemhunter.com/henry-louis-vivian-derozio/biography/
Introduction:
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a social reformist. Derozio was charismatic educator, incorrigible rationalist. He was the initiator of the Bengal Renaissance and reformer of a conservative Hindu society. His influence on the social and intellectual life of Bengal. Amongst many Bengali intellectuals he is regarded as a Columbus who sailed the dark seas of antiquated knowledge and brought the spirit of critical inquiar to the youth of Bengal.
Henry Derozio as a Social Reformer:
➢ Early life
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was born on 18 April 1809 at Entally Padmapukur in Kolkata. He was an Indian poet and assistant headmaster of Hindu college, Kolkata. He was a radical thinker and one of the first Indian educator who brought western learning and science among the young men of Bengal.
At the age of 14 he quit school and joined his father's concerns. At Kolkata Darozio inspired by beauty of the bank of the river Ganga and he started writing poetry on that he was such great leader, who organised various protest movement, formation of societies and associations, religious reform movements which are all positive symptoms of a renaissance. Early years of his life was a milestone of achievements. He was loved by the young men of the Hindu community and equally hatred by the elders, conservative people, who did not accept him for his heretic activities. Darozio was actually involved in promoting the welfare of his Eurasian community and had begun editing the daily English newspaper.
➢ Literary works
Darozio was generally considered as an Anglo-Indian, being of mixed Portuguese descent, but he was fired because he has patriotic spirit for his native Bengal, and he was considered himself as an Indian. Derozio was perhaps the first nationalist poet of modern India.
Poems of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio:
1. "A Walk by Moonlight"
2. "Going into Darkness"
3. "Song of the Hindustanee Minstrel"
4. "The Harp of India"
5. "To my Native Land"
In his poem 'To India my Native Land', he wrote
My Country! In the days of Glory Past
A beauteous halo circled round thy brow And worshiped as deity thou wast, Where is that Glory, where is that reverence now? Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last, And grovelling in the lowly dust art thou, Thy minstrel hath no wreath to weave for thee, save the sad story of thy misery
Well–let me dive into the depths of time,
And bring from out the ages that have rolled
A few small fragments of those wrecks sublime,
Which human eyes may never more behold;
And let the guerdon of my labour be
My fallen country! one kind wish from thee!
And bring from out the ages that have rolled
A few small fragments of those wrecks sublime,
Which human eyes may never more behold;
And let the guerdon of my labour be
My fallen country! one kind wish from thee!
'To India - my Native Land', poem written in 1828. It was first published in India. The poem is a Sonnet which is written as a tribute to the motherland of the author. Through the poem Derozio expresses his personal loss in the downfall of his country India. His poems are regarded through as an important landmark in the history of patriotic poetry in India.
Derozio says that the old days was worshipped like a deity. Poets are wonders when their glorious and eleganced country was enslaved of British empire. The author was also mentioned that the country has been humiliated and ashamed of herself grovelling in the dust. The poet has not capable to offer anything to his country to his country but he will dig into the past and he will try to sing of some parts of that great history which is no longer available to the younger generation.
The poet has used the words to hinting at past glory of India, words like 'halo' , 'deity' , 'worship'. The theme of the poem "To India - My Native Land" by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is one of lamenting the loss of national greatness. The loss is the splendor of India, which to the poet, is no longer a part the country's makeup. The poet says that India's glory is in its past, at the time of his writing in the first third of the 1800s. The poet further develops this theme of loss of national greatness by saying he wants to recover some artifacts of this greatness to show the world the former glory of India - to prove how fine the country really was before losing some of their national strength.
R. K. Dasgupta has written that Derozio’s sonnet ‘To India-My Native Land’ is “….The poetical expression of our new patriotism….when Derozio wrote these lines, there was no patriotic song in the Bengali language and not many songs composed several decades later seemed to echo the sentiments of these first poems of our nationalist airs…. its significance in the history of Indian patriotism is that it is more than paean of our ancient glory; it is also a vow of service to the country.”
'Fakeer of Jungheera', his next work was long narrative poem. It was a masterpiece creation of reflects the satipratha, cast system and religion. The poem deals with the theme of patriotism of love and the central theme of the poem is the ignoble and in human practice of 'sati' in the contemporary orthodox Indian society. Darozio satirised upon Indian society through this poem. In the beginning he remarked the bountiful embrace of mother earth,
The sun-lit stream in dimples breaks,
As when a child from slumber wakes,
Sweet smiling on its mother-there,
Like heavenly hope o'er mortal care!
Darozio was a social reformist who defied the antiquated ideas of superstition, suttee and idolatry. He challenge and condemned against the evil prevailing in the orthodox Hindu society. His 'The Harp of India' and 'To India- My Native Land' expressed the touch of English romantic poetry as well as his Indian nationalist thought besides revealed his high sense of patriotism.
The Bengal Renaissance:-
Derozio was linked us the history and social of early nineteenth century of Bengal. As we know that first few decades of nineteenth century, Derozio occupied. Calcutta city dominated by cast and religion.
The young Bengal movement in Indian history was the movement of the young radical thinker. Derozio started an academic association with his students in 1828. Im this association, he had done very well activities like, organised discussion and debates, which were attended by scholars. Among his short Poems there are several ballads such as the song of the Hindustanee Minstrel. His teachings which were pragmatic and rational, he was succeeded in organising young Bengal. He taught his students, ideas of freedom and thoughts.
Derozio taught them that you all have questioned upon the existing superstitious and age old benefits. He motivated his young Bengal members with his teachings of 'to live and die for truth'.
Patriotic poet:
Renaissance is the result of the impact of British rule. It is the awakening of national consciousness of people with new light and new thought. The light of Renaissance raised humanism in human minds. It encouraged people to learn philosophy for the rediscovery. The world with new outlook and also encouraged to learn western literature. It spreads the seeds of patriotism for national interest. The Henry Derozio's poem in English, we feel the spirit of patriotism.
Darozio had his passion for freedom and urge for to reform the social issues. He was a powerful catalytic agent of massive socio-cultural changes that look place under the influence of Renaissance. To understand Derozio's Poems, there was reflection of patriotism in his every poetic expression. He was known as the first 'Indo-Anglian' poet.
K. S. Ramamurthy in his introduction of his anthology- 'Twenty-five Indian poets in English' said "Indian poetry in English is said to have began with Henry Louis Vivian Derozio who was not only a poet but also a teacher of poet.
R. K. Naik remarks in his book 'A History of Indian English literature' - "A noteworthy feature of Derozio's poetry is its burning nationalistic zeal. Poems like 'To India-My Native Land' , 'The Harp of India' and 'To the peoples of the hindoo college' have an unmistakable authenticity of patriotic utterance which stamps Derozio as an Indian English poet who in truly a son of the soil".
As a teacher of poet, he taught his students the feeling of patriotism with his poem. His poem 'The Magnus Opus' vitalized the spirit of Renaissance and he was really a spreading a spirit of patriotism.
Derozio desires to revive the past glory with patriotic devotion. He writes –
“Well-let me dive into the depths of time
And bring from out the ages that have rolled
A few small fragments of those wrecks sublime
Which human eye may never more behold.”Derozio’s passions for liberty and patriotic inspiration are well expressed in his short poems. In the Hindu College he taught Greek history and the two epics of Homer. Greeks were his inspiration. Greece was a symbol of liberty, bravery and patriotism. In this glorious civilization emancipation was the only motto and patriotism was in there blood. Derozio’s short pomes – ‘The Greeks at Marathon’, ‘Address to the Greeks’, ‘Thermopylae’ and ‘Freedom to the Slave’ had the fire of patriotism.
The poem, ‘The Freedom to the Slave’ is also an echo of patriotic passion of fiercely freedom loving spirits. In this poem the poet pays attribute to all who are fighting for freedom. He writes –
“And glory to the breast that bleeds
Bleeds nobly to be free !
Blest be the generous hand that breaks
The chain that a tyrant gave,
And feeling for degraded man
Gives freedom to the slave”
Conclusion:
Thus the Derozio who a versatile man. He was a inspiration for the youth and his influence an anti-institutional thinker was no less felt even today. His anti- Brahmin attitude was nothing but his anti-institutionalism like Shelly's Atheism propagated in Oxford University in the teeth of all opposition.
Reference:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_India_-_My_Native_Land
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Vivian_Derozio
https://www.poemhunter.com/henry-louis-vivian-derozio/biography/
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