Prayag Jyoti Baruah, BCA 2nd Sem, Sec- B
Q) Critically evaluate the poem 'A Character ' in about 200 words.
Answer: This poem describes the dynamics of both society and the
human character. When he talks about the contrasts of the human face,
he is referring to both the faces we make in certain moods and the face of
our personalities. He is fascinated with human personalities in that we
can be happy one minute and depressed the next. He describes the ups
and the downs, the full and the empty. When he “marvel(s) how nature
could ever find space…” for all the contrasts, he is thinking of the obvious
dynamic variety in humans that is less obvious in nature. Of all the natural
occurrences he has seen and been moved by, he now focuses on humans.
Does this relate to yin and yang? Well absolutely! Yin and Yang represents
those opposites are not only able to coexist, they must exist together in
the same world. This picture effectively demonstrates that by blending
the yin yang symbol over the earth, demonstrating that on (although not
limited to) Earth, opposites must exist; every yin has it’s yang. But there is
also part of yang in yin and part of yin in yang. Wordsworth says: “There
is thought and no thought…” One does not exist without the other, but
there can never fully be a lack of thought and never be just thought. The
two complete each other. He sees humans and both beautiful and flawed.
There are flaws to beauty, and sometimes even flaws can be beautiful.
In the opposites, Wordsworth goes on to describe opposites within
opposites like when he talks about weakness and strength. Strength can
be over used like in any movie where the superhero accidentally breaks
something. Too much strength can lead to disaster; sometimes there is
strength in restraint. When there is strength, but it is left unused or used
correctly, it can be just as bad as when it is over used. Balance is
necessary for everything.
In the last stanza, Wordsworth seems to be relating this to and
experience from his own life. There was a woman who he loved, but she
had another lover. Wordsworth thinks he’s better for her. He says the
man would ran away and leave her to continue to love him and grieve his
absence. In the fourth stanza, he talks about how her lover not noticing
her and the shame in not realizing what you have. He also talks about
how his own virtue will come back and benefit him in the end (although,
he probably hopes she’ll notice it). So pretty much, Wordsworth wrote
this for the woman so she could realize she has made the wrong choice.