Second Attachments in Sense and Sensibility

In his youth, Colonel Brandon had been secretly in love with a girl named Eliza Williams. After his father came to know about their relationship, he was sent to the army, and his beloved Eliza married his elder brother. This was because a younger brother could not marry before his elder brother. Even if they had married, they would not have been able to inherit property. Thus, it can be said that they were victims of a brutal society. Colonel Brandon takes a liking to Marianne as soon as he casts his eyes on her because she resembles Eliza, the woman he once loved.

Edward Ferrars was initially secretly engaged to Lucy Steele for four years. Their relationship was considered unexpected and was not a good match. For Edward, it was merely an infatuation. However, when he met Elinor Dashwood at Norland, they developed a deep and sincere connection. Unfortunately, Edward had met Lucy Steele earlier and had promised to marry her. Lucy’s older sister accidentally revealed this news to the public. When Edward’s mother came to know about their relationship, she disinherited him and gave all her property to her younger son, Robert Ferrars. After that, Lucy married Robert.

Lucy Steele was engaged to Edward Ferrars, and their relationship was a secret. They were supposed to get married, but after Edward was disowned by his mother, Lucy changed her mind and eloped with his younger brother, Robert.

Marianne Dashwood ironically disapproves of second relationships or double relationships. It is ironic because, at the end of the novel, she had to approve such a relationship by marrying the sensible and constant Colonel Brandon. At first, she fell in love with a handsome young man named John Willoughby, but he was not a good person. Colonel Brandon also fell in love with Marianne Dashwood, but she did not like him. Willoughby left Marianne and chose to marry a wealthy woman named Miss Grey. After being betrayed by her beloved, she accepted Colonel Brandon’s proposal and married him.

John Willoughby is an attractive but deceitful young man who wins Marianne Dashwood’s heart. He liked Marianne and admitted his devotion to her, but their relationship did not last long, as he chose money over love. He greedily abandoned her in favor of the wealthy Miss Sophia Grey. He knew that marrying Marianne would not significantly improve his financial condition or bring him any wealth.

At the beginning of the novel, readers learn that Mr. Henry Dashwood had two wives. After his first wife passed away, he got married again. According to religion, this was not considered wrong.

Elinor Dashwood is perhaps different from other characters. Nearly every character except her falls in love more than once. In her discussion with Colonel Brandon, it seems that Elinor has no problem with second attachments, yet she is the only one who marries the very first man she knows and loves. 

From the beginning of the novel, she loved Edward, and for the sake of her true love, she had to endure many hardships. However, at the end of the novel, she was able to marry her beloved.

The second attachment is a highly focused theme in the novel, leading some characters into the light and others into the darkness. 

Theme of childhood in Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake

William Blake is famous for his collection of poems called Songs of Innocence and of Experience. In Songs of Innocence, there are nineteen poems, while Songs of Experience contains twenty-six poems. Childhood is the central theme of the poems, and at the same time, in Songs of Experience, the real suffering of children in England at that time was portrayed effectively. Childhood is a theme that appears repeatedly in these two sets of poems.

In Songs of Innocence, childhood is depicted in a very innocent and pleasurable way. In the poems belonging to Songs of Innocence, there are not too many negative images or symbols. However, we can see that children still suffer. In fact, Blake has made an effort to show the suffering of children from the poor class. That is why, in his poem "The Chimney Sweeper" in Songs of Innocence, we can see that the chimney sweepers were more or less innocent, and, at the same time, they were child laborers. So, let us take a look at the first four lines:

In the second line of the poem, we can see that the father sold the boy, and the boy became a chimney sweeper.

When it comes to the poems in Songs of Experience, Blake did not try to hide the suffering of the children. In Songs of Innocence, there was a poem called “Infant Joy,” where the child experienced a lot of joy. But when it comes to Songs of Experience, the title of the poem changes to “Infant Sorrow,” and there we can see a lot of sorrow for the children.

In “Infant Sorrow,” we can see that childhood, or coming into this world as a baby, is not always a happy event as we often imagine. Here, the baby has to fight, and especially if the baby comes from a poor class, the struggle continues for many years.

In Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake not only talked about the suffering of children but also showed society’s cruelty toward them. The rich and powerful did not care about the suffering and misery of children, which is why thousands of poor children had to suffer in every way. Here, the children are not like the lamb in the poem “The Lamb.” Instead, they suffer under the cruelty of the tiger. This is a sad picture of society that Blake has depicted in his poems. People did not care about the children because they had become accustomed to the idea that children must suffer.

If we look into English literature, we can think of two writers, in addition to Blake, who also wrote extensively about childhood and children. One of them is William Wordsworth, a contemporary of Blake. Wordsworth was a pioneering figure in the Romantic Movement or Romantic poetry in the history of English literature. He portrayed childhood in a very beautiful way, bringing great pleasure to readers. However, Wordsworth also sometimes depicted the suffering and misery of children in contemporary England.

On the other hand, Charles Dickens perhaps took the theme of children’s suffering from William Blake and carried it further. In Dickens’ novels, we can find similar portrayals of children’s suffering as seen in Blake’s poetry. Oliver Twist is the best example of this theme. When you read Oliver Twist, you can find reflections of Blake’s poetry. Oliver Twist’s character and strength remind us of some of the characters portrayed in Blake’s poems.

Blake is no longer a very famous poet in our time, but we should read his poems in Songs of Innocence and Experience so that we never forget the suffering of children. 

The Use of Symbols in Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake

It is hard to place William Blake within a specific time frame, as he was just ahead of the Romantic poets and many years after the Neoclassical poets. However, one aspect that attracts readers to this poet is his use of symbolism. He skillfully employed a variety of symbols, some of which are common but used in very unique or different ways. Blake is famous for his book Songs of Innocence and of Experience, which contains several poems.

Songs of Innocence presents its poems in a more innocent way, while Songs of Experience contains poems that are more complex and often convey a sad and dark tone.

In Songs of Innocence, we find various symbols that are distinct yet easy to interpret. For example, the lamb symbolizes innocence and is also a symbol of Jesus Christ. The figures of the shepherd and the father represent God, who looks after His children or people.

In Songs of Innocence, Blake often highlights the happy side of life. That is why his chimney sweepers initially appear to be relatively less unhappy. The nurse is also not unhappy, and throughout the poems in Songs of Innocence, there is an overall sense of joy and pleasure.

On the contrary, in Songs of Experience, some poems share the same titles as those in Songs of Innocence, but they present a much darker picture of society. For example, The Sick Rose is one such poem. The poem London depicts a very sorrowful image of the people in London. The contrast between the two Chimney Sweeper poems illustrates that in Songs of Experience, the chimney sweeper is portrayed as a boy who endures immense suffering and is utterly miserable. He has no hope and no future. Thus, the chimney sweeper itself serves as a powerful symbol for thousands of poor children who have endured great hardship and lack any prospects.

Blake frequently used religious symbols, but he also incorporated social symbols at times. For example, the shepherd and the lamb are both religious symbols, whereas the chimney sweeper serves as a social symbol.

In the poems of Songs of Innocence, many of the symbols represent goodness, while in Songs of Experience, they tend to symbolize evil.

In Songs of Innocence, Blake used many symbols from the Bible, which is why we see more religious symbols. However, in the poems of Songs of Experience, he uses his own imaginative symbols. As a result, if we do not understand the background of the poems or the background of William Blake, it becomes difficult to interpret these symbols.

Blake’s strong use of symbolism demonstrates his greatness as a poet. Following him, the Romantic poets emerged, and this period is often regarded as the golden age or the greatest age of English poetry. Blake was the forerunner of this age, and his exceptional skill in using symbols explains why he is often ranked among the Romantic poets.

Preserving freedom is harder to obtain than achieving it

 Freedom is a fundamental right of every human. While the concept of freedom is appealing, achieving it is often a challenging endeavor. No matter how sweet the word “freedom” is, it is very difficult to achieve. It is even more difficult to protect this hard-earned freedom. People have struggled for generations to gain freedom. Oppressed and tortured nations struggle to preserve their dignity and achieve liberation. However, achieving this freedom is not the main purpose. The main purpose is to uphold it. After achieving independence, it is essential to always be prepared for the reconstruction and development of the country and to protect it from external enemies. After gaining independence, we must strive to preserve our freedom as a strong and self-confident nation rather than living like the oppressed. Only then will it be possible to protect the freedom we have gained. Otherwise, the desired freedom will be lost. You must justify the desired freedom through your motivation, way of thinking, and sense of discipline. The ultimate purpose of all human activities is to develop a glorious life full of freedom. Subjugated nations achieve independence through great sacrifice, relentless effort, and prolonged struggle. Therefore, it is our national duty to understand the dignity and importance of freedom and to be proactive in preserving it.

The influence of winter in rural Bangladesh

Recently, life has become busier, and we have become more accustomed to modern life. As a result, many of us find it hard to gather as a group and head to the village. Even when we get a vacation suddenly, we often end up having a rooftop barbecue or a quick day trip. However, those who get the opportunity to rush to the village even for a short time, escaping the constraints of their busy lives, can still experience the joy of winter picnics and the warmth of genuine hospitality that they may have left behind.

I have already mentioned the various arrangements made during winter in rural life, but if I do not talk about how winter disrupts the rural people, then the full picture of winter in the village will remain incomplete. In the village, there is no warmth from an electric heater, no softness of a woolen blanket, or the promise of care from Vaseline or glycerin. Instead, the harshest and most intense form of winter is felt there. Village people endure the cold wrapped in handwoven shawls and mufflers. Instead of blankets that smell of naphthalene, rural folks wrap themselves in quilts made of silk cotton, infused with the fragrance of neem leaves, during the winter months. To ward off the cold, they warm their hands by the fire and keep a kerosene lamp or a piece of burning coal in a corner of the house. Since the majority of the people in rural settlements are laborers, and the burden of poverty is a constant presence in their lives, they have to rush to markets, fields, and other places even during the harshest winters. A very familiar sight on a winter morning in the village is Kalimuddin, the boatman, or Hasan from the fishermen’s neighborhood, walking along the edge of the field through the mist.

I mentioned earlier that the villages of Bengal are losing their original form due to the rapid changes taking place. That is why, perhaps, in some well-off households, people ward off the cold with warm blankets and buy winter clothes from stores. However, the harsh reality of the poor suffering during winter is still very apparent in the villages today. Even now, Kolimuddin and Hasan have to ignore the cold and rush to fight for survival. Their profession or means of livelihood might have changed. Kolimuddin might now be operating an engine instead of steering a boat, while Hasan might be considering catching fish with a current net. Yet, they rush along the edges of the fields on their cracked feet on fog-covered mornings.

Shamsur Rahman described the winter in the village as “an ascetic sage.” The poet did not say anything wrong. The bare attire of winter and the motionless nature remind us of meditation. While many things have changed, and some have faded away in the passage of time or the encroachment of modernity, the essence of rural life still carries childhood memories woven into every aspect of winter, a melody filled with affection that has been cherished over a lifetime.