Enterprise - Nissim Ezekiel

8/10/2019 Enterprise - Nissim Ezekiel

1/17

ENTERPRISE

Nissim Ezekiel


2/17

HOW TO DESCRIBE THE POEM

Nissim Ezekiel's "Enterprise" is a: powerful, multi-faceted metaphor

for a:

journey, an expedition or a signicant human activity

which a man:

dreams of, plans, and concretizes

but which ultimately ends up in disillusionment.


3/17

HOW TO DESCRIBE THE POEM

The poem Enterprise in !eneral is an :

Allegory on ilgrimage Allegory on the human condition on this planet and

Allegory on the fre!uent e"orts, failures and frustrations is su#ject to.

ll the abo#e ha#e been wo#en into an e$ten%e% metaphor

Allegory:A story, poem, or picture which can #e interpreted to revhidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.


4/17

THE BEGINNING

The pil!rima!e be!ins& with so much of:

excitement and

fanfare

that thedi$cultiesthatlie ahead appear to be mere straws

It st

E"alti#g

T$e %&re#s lig

E"!lore %&t

T$e s %e


5/17


6/17

THE S+N,S -RAGE,

The pil!rims are now face% with adverse natural di$culties This is s)mbolize% b) the blazin! sun

This howe#er %oes not %r) up their enthusiasm

The scorchin! sun is an apt metaphorfor )massive o#stacles

In fact& these obstacles onl) em#olden them furtheras if to m

challenge.

&he sun #eat down to match our rage.

It st

E"alti#g

T$e %&re#s lig

E"!lore %&t

T$e s %e


7/17

THE PI.GRIMS, RESPONSE

The "*age" +f the Sun seems to pro%uce correspon%in! ragpeople

+arried away #y excitement& the pil!rims minutel) obser#e ae#er)thin!

The) want to keep a record of the items,si!ni(cant an% inshol) an% mun%ane& human as well as non-human

We stoo i

O%ser/e

O# t$i#gs

T$e *ay o0

T$ree (


8/17

THE PI.GRIMS, RESPONSE1 INTERPRETATION

The poem here comments on the enterprise at this sta!e&

The comment can be seen as:

A satire on the adventures of the ur#anites in rural and psituations,

The poem comments on the impracticalities of such enterpri

We stoo i

O%ser/e

O# t$i#gs

T$e *ay o0

T$ree (


9/17


The reference to serpentsbrin!s out the iron) of the situatio .ow mentally ill-e!uipped the pil!rims are before the) emba

e$pe%ition

The least the) coul% ha#e %one was to gather #asic %nowledroute and place of pilgrimage,its !eo!raph)& its people& the%i/culties likel) to be encountere% on the wa)

0ut the) seem to ha#e %one nothin! of the kin%

Now in nothin! %own such commonl) known ob*ects& as serp!oats& the) are frittering away their energies

s a result the) are #ound to miss the deeper meaning of lifean e$pe%ition often re#eals

We stoo i

O%ser/e

O# t$i#gs

T$e *ay o0

T$ree (


10/17


The conscientiousnesswith which the pil!rims recor% minuteappear to #e worth appreciating

It howe#er conceals their inherent shallowness 1 the) seem tof the true purposeof their *ourne)

The) ha#e not ma%e a spiritual search of the meaning of the

its inner si!ni(cance In this sta!e the pil!rims learn from the people on the route

notes an% obser#ation

It is a stage of discovery, #ut a supercial one

This ma) also !i#e us advance indications of the e#entual fai

e$pe%ition

We stoo i

O%ser/e

O# t$i#gs

T$e *ay o0

T$ree (

$


11/17

CRAC2S IN THE 3ACADE O3 +NIT4

Now the true e$amination be!ins that su!!ests crac%s in thetheir unity.ut when the di"erences arosen how to cross a desert patch,

This phrase )desert patch ) allu%es to lac% of inspiration and The "%esert patch" takes on s)mbolic si!ni(cance in this sta

Earlier the) ha% passe% throu!h lands of friendly peasants afaith

Now the) ha#e to cross religionswhich lac% faith an% are li%e

B&t *$e#

O# $o* to

We lost a 0rie#

Was 6&ite t$e

A s$ao*

B t $


12/17

CRAC2S IN THE 3ACADE O3 +NIT4

/e lost a friend whose stylish prose/as !uite the #est of all our #atch.

.ere Ezekiel emphasizes the %i2erence between: a theorist and a practical man,

an idealist and a realist,

theorist skille% in writin! "stylish prose" faile% to pro#i%e asolution to o#ercome obstacles s)mbolize% b) "a %esert patc

.ere the stylish prose is mocke% at for its ina#ility to overcpractical %i/culties an% impe%iments s)mbolise% b) "a %ese

This is an e$ample of how intellectual opinions and argumento disintegration

s alwa)s happens in such cases& the theorists become the the feare%-sinkin! ship of e$pe%ition

B&t *$e#

O# $o* to

We lost a 0rie#

Was 6&ite t$e

A s$ao*

THE +NIT4 O3 P+RPOSE IS


13/17

THE +NIT4 O3 P+RPOSE ISSHATTERED

In the fourth stanza& Ezekiel writes of other impe%iments

utsiders assault on the team an% the resultant loss of wayenterprise

The sense of bein! lost is a #er) powerful e$pression as it inthephysical as well as the spiritual crisis

Some 3uit the team

The lea%er of the !roup tries to in*ect some encoura!ementthem that the %estination was at han%

4ookin! at the %isor!anize% lot of pil!rims& the poet ha% a fehelplessness in which the onl) thin! he coul% %o was to pra)

The act of pra)in! implies see%ing the divine help for the e$

because of the failures of human e"orts

A#ot$er !$ase *

Were t*i(e

A se(t

To lea/e t$e

O&r leaer


14/17



15/17


Now the) are a %emoralize%& %isinte!rate% an% e$hauste% lo

Thus& the pil!rims ha#e their power of #ision clou%e% so muremar%a#le can #e seen #y their eyes.

Rather than bein! #ound #y an idealized goal& the pil!rims t%isor!anize% crow% of aimless wan%erers

The) ha#e forgotten the original, lofty motivewhich ha% proe$pe%ition

We #oti(e

A straggli#

Ig#ori#g *$a

De!ri/e o0 (om

Some *ere



16/17


The) no more remaine% the curious i%ealists but aimless wa The) e#en ignore the thunder& which s)mbolises spiritual re

Remember the) ha#e been throu!h the 9ra!in! sun an% the

Thun%er was a si!n of the approachin! rains which ha% the re#italize them

;inall) onl) disillusionmentis the outcome of the *ourne) Same con%ition is there in the *ourne) of life

In the be!innin! of this *ourne)& a man is full of hope& %esireenthusiasm

0ut when the en% approaches& there is total %isillusionment

%isappointment

We #oti(e

A straggli#

Ig#ori#g *$a

De!ri/e o0 (om

Some *ere



17/17


;inall)& all the hopesof !ainin! spiritual regeneration are los

Enterprise - Nissim Ezekiel

Documents

Transcript of Enterprise - Nissim Ezekiel