Comment on the last part of Absalom and Achitophel

Absalom and Achitophel, written by John Dryden, is one of the best political satires in English literature. In it, a particular time in the political situation of England was published, and it is assumed that the then King Charles II personally requested Dryden to write a poem in his favor. Accordingly, Dryden wrote it in favor of King Charles II and against his enemies. Enemies of King Charles II tried to overthrow him and put his illegitimate child, the Duke of Monmouth, in power. In this poem, Dryden tried to undermine the enemies of King Charles II and glorify the king. In this poem, he presented allegories resembling the Bible, and King Charles II is called King David.

In the last part of the Absalom and Achitophel poem, we mainly observe the speech of King David or King Charles II. In his speech, he explains his logic for why he will have to stop his illegitimate son and punish his enemies. Before that, Dryden mainly presented the political situation of that time, where on one side were the supporters of King David or King Charles II and on the other side were the enemies of King Charles II. The main leader of the enemies is the Earl of Shaftesbury, and in this story, he is known as the character named Achitophel. He tried to influence Absalom, or the Duke of Monmouth, to rebel against his father, King David.

King David said something about his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth. He said that the Duke of Monmouth considers himself Samson, and he dreams that he will shake the foundation of the throne like Samson. Though the Duke of Monmouth was the illegitimate son of King David, he liked his son very much and felt that there was a limit to everything. The Duke of Monmouth is affectionate towards him, but he exceeds his limit. So the time has come to punish him.

Not only the Duke of Monmouth but much more than that, the Earl of Shaftesbury and other enemies who thought that the King had become old and had no strength like before, King David tried to explain his logic behind suppressing them with a strong hand in the last stanza of this poem. He said it was not fair for the country to consider him weak because the law-and-order situation as well as the dignity and power of the king should be protected. So, he is determined to punish state enemies, and he has explained this justification to his allies.

In the last part of this poem, from King David’s speech, we get Dryden’s semblance of thought about erstwhile government policy. At that time, the parliament was on one side and the king’s allies were on the other. Most of the parliament members wanted to reduce the power of the king and increase the power and scope of work of the parliament, especially in economic affairs and managing the country. On the contrary, the king was not willing to accept it because monarchy had prevailed for decades in England, and the power and honor of the king were the highest. Dryden was the king’s personnel, and he was suspicious of parliament members. So, he tried to express it through David’s mouth that the king must be strong and firm in need. If the king is not strong, there will be anarchy in the country. The king should remain in power for the betterment of the country.

In the last part of the poem, in David’s speech, we again see the statement that the king must be strong and suppress everyone with a strong hand. The enemies of the king had been plotting for a long time, and if the king was not strong then there would be some kind of unrest in the whole country. King David also said that he is kind-hearted and loves to forgive everyone. He forgave many people, and if it continues, it will not bode well for the future. So, the king must suppress this revolt with a strong hand. The orders and instructions of the king must be abided by his enemies and the people of the country because king is the most powerful person. A king’s duty is to rule the country, and while doing this, many things may be pleasant or unpleasant to somebody. But if obstacles come in every matter, then it will bring misfortune to the people. Dryden mainly tried to say this back and forth.

Though Dryden has written Absalom and Achitophel taking one side, it is one of the best political allegories in English literature and one of Dryden’s best works. This is because Dryden did not only write well but also tried to present beautiful logic for his side. From this, we get an idea of his talent and skill as a poet.

Books enhance the periphery of our knowledge

Books develop the latent genius of human beings. To be an eminent person, it is essential to keep in touch with books. A creative writer expresses his inherent thoughts through writing. The greatest wealth of a human being is books, which cannot be compared with any worldly wealth. One day all terrestrial wealth will be lost, but the knowledge acquired from an enlightened book is endless; rather, it will illuminate the light of wisdom forever. 

The first letter of the holy Quran is ‘Iqra,’ which means read. Emphasis on reading is given here first. A mode of reading is a book. Just by reading a few selective books on the syllabus and achieving an institutional degree, you cannot acquire proper knowledge. Rather, one should read various types of books to acquire versatile talent and enhance the scope of diverse knowledge. There is no limit to books or time for acquiring knowledge. There is a saying that you acquire knowledge from cradle to grave.

Litterateurs and writers engage their whole knowledge in books. It is possible to acquire knowledge only by reading their books. The future of the country and nation will remain safe to book lovers. It is very surprising that children and jubilant are growing up enjoying the internet and social media. Which way is the future of the country and the nation going?

Where are those people now who dedicated themselves to reading books, embraced sleep while reading, and again started reading after waking from sleep, collecting books beneath their pillows? Where is their ideology? So, have we been able to become their real successors? Those who know themselves as renowned writers, have we been able to become good readers like our former illustrious writers?

What is even more surprising is that those who do not read a single page in a day are writing big columns on social media. On the other hand, many book lovers who have a fascination with social media are accustomed to reading their reviews. It is a matter of big loss. If you want to gain knowledge then there is no alternative to reading books. All the wisdom of the world is hidden inside books. So, one must read books to step into the kingdom of sagacity. You have to read books if you want to know yourself and the world. Moreover, those who want to be great need to read more and more books. Keep in mind that the more books you read, the better. A book not only provides information but also creates a ground for questions and teaches us to think in a new way. One can float in the sea of wisdom if one can make him book warm. He can be a milestone for all.

There is a different charm in reading books. I regret to say that reading habits are being deteriorated day by day in today’s information and technological era. Our reading habits almost turn into mechanical means. There is no space for paper books in the age of information and technology. Someone said that reading is important. What is the need for the touch or smell of books? But they do not know that the charm of reading books lies in their smell. A writer said, "The interest in reading original books has been lost after e-books and e-papers of national dailies have come out. Many people only read e-books and PDFs." In this context, my opinion is that true book lovers do not get the same feelings from reading e-books as they do from paper books. Books are such materials that can be embellished after reading. Books can be read generation after generation. Those who are authors express their vast experience of long days on every page of a book, and we get the opportunity to enrich ourselves by being enlightened by that knowledge. So, please let us read and love books.