STRUCTURALIST ANALYSIS OF BINARY OPPOSITIONS
The theory of structuralism transpired from the philosophies of language and linguistics. According to the Oxford dictionary, the term “structuralism” is defined as a method of elucidation and analysis of human’s facets on cognition, behaviors, culture, and experience, which emphases on affiliations of contrast between elements in a theoretical system. The dictionary further interprets the term “structuralism” by stating that it is a doctrine, in which the structure plays a vital role than the function itself.
The theory of structuralism believes that a reader plays a pivotal role in decrypting meanings from texts whereby different genres are interpreted differently based on the reader’s background knowledge. One of the general tenets of structuralism is that it forms the basis for semiotics (the study of signs), in which it reveals the literal study to cultural study, intensifying a critical analysis of a context.
Words are then, interpreted as ‘signs’ which consists of signifier (a spoken or written word) and signified (a pre-thought when the word is used). This approach is known as binary opposition. ‘Binary’, means two or dual, and ‘oppositions’, means a contradicting meaning exists in a word. In brief, binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in its meaning.
One of the fundamental features of 'binary opposites' is that one side of the binary pair is always well regarded over the other. It thus carries a propensity of positivity and negativity. Despite binary oppositions in structuralism, the study of conflict in literature is essential. Conflict in literary texts creates tension besides being an attention grabber. Conflict is found in a character internally through character’s mind and externally from the exterior forces.
The conflict between man and nature is highlighted in examining the poems by Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Man” and by Gerard Manly Hopkins, “The Windhover” which initially parallels and contradicts. Thus, this poem illustrates a critical study on Structuralist analysis of Binary Oppositions in respective views of man and nature.
THE VIEWS OF MAN AND NATURE IN POPE’S POEM “AN ESSAY ON MAN.
The poem “An Essay on Man is written by Alexander Pope in 1734, which compromises four epistles. In this analysis, epistle II, lines one to eighteen are focused. The subtitle of the second epistle is “Of the Nature and State of Man, with Respect to Himself as an Individual”. The main theme of this poem is a man’s characteristics in the world. The poem directly illustrates the binary opposition that focuses on a man’s position in the society.
Examples of binary opposition includes words such as “knowledge” and “Skeptic side” (line 5), “weakness” and “Stoic’s pride” (line 6), “God” and Beast” (line 8), “Mind” and “Body” (line 9), “reas’ning” and “err” (line 10), “abus’d” and “diasbus’d” (line 14), “lord” and “prey” (line 16) and many more. Each words listed opposes its meaning and prod.....
THE VIEWS OF MAN AND NATURE IN HOPKIN’S POEM “THE WINDHOVER”.
“The windhover” is a poem written by Gerard Manly Hopkins in 1877. This poem is difficult to be analyzed as it is written using deeper metaphor and symbolism. In order to understand the poem, one needs to understand the title of the poem. The Windhover is a falcon that has a special ability to hover against the wind and catches its prey by diving on it from above. On contradictory to the poem by Pope, The Windhover interprets its meaning through a critical and intensified scrutiny of the text.
The view of nature and man is initiated through the structuralist approach of binary opposition. The binary opposition in the poem is few but each one of it unearths the inner meaning profoundly. The foremost phrase that needs to be noticed by every reader is, “To Christ our Lord” phrase. It is stated in the very first line of the poem, below the title and before the beginning of the poem.
It is positioned in such an order to display the superiority and clearly denotes that the title “The windhover” is correlated with the phrase below it. Thus, this expresses the views of nature (windhover) and man (God). Before studying in depth, understanding the conception of man and God is vital. Considering man with Christ is not a sign of devaluing God but agreeing to the stance that Christ was born as a Man to save the world.
The belief of Christianity underlays in this context, in which Christ is perceived as a man and as a God. The binary oppositions found in this poem comprise “Brute beauty” in line 9, “lovelier, more dangerous in line 11 and “sheer against shine” in line 12 and 13. The most important binary opposition in this poem is the glory of nature and the glory of God. The first two lines of the poem illustrates windhover as the “morning’s minion” and “daylight’s dauphin” which then can be interpreted as the majesty of falcon that is equivalent to the majesty of Christ as an omnipotent God.
The sentence in line 5, “then off, off forth on swing”, demonstrates the great amount of energy the falcon sacrifice in order to hover against the wind which is also comparable to the life of Christ, who endured a great amount of suffering in the world before His death. In further, the last lines of the octave mentions that the windhover is “the mastery of the thing!” This line stresses on the windhover becoming dominant of the wind after much suffering of withstanding the forceful wind like how successfully Christ overcome the suffering and death .....
This last line proves that Christ majestically won over the sufferings and death by His resurrection. Ultimately, the poem accentuates on three major views of man and nature, the selfless dedication of the falcon and Christ, the mighty struggle unto wind and suffering or death and the final glorious or triumphant of Christ through His resurrection.
The contradicting elements found in both the poems are the perspective view of God. In “An Essay on Man”, God is interpreted as a person that does not play a pivotal role in human’s life but based on “The Windhover”, God parades Himself as the most significant person in human’s life. This can be proven through Christ mission on surrendering Himself to the world in order to save the people.
The views of nature and man that parallels in the poem are the life and death conception. Pope exhibit life and death of human whereby death justifies human’s deed and likely Hopkin’s stresses on the life and death of Christ which is full of suffering and death gives an eternal life. Therefore, both the poem as viewed through the structuralist theory conveys the views of man and nature similarly and dissimilarly.
CONCLUSION
The theory of structuralism indeed helps a reader to examine texts from different perspectives. The approach of binary opposition, which contradicts two elements, imposes differing outlooks on the natural and cultural order. Thus, both the poem ciphered the underneath meaning through structuralism which then helps the reader to evaluate the poem proficiently.
REFERENCE
The Theme of Hopkins' Sonnet, The Windhover :: Sonnet Essays. (n.d.). The Theme of Hopkins' Sonnet, The Windhover :: Sonnet Essays. Retrieved May 30, 2014, from
About Windhovering. (n.d.). Windhovering. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from
Morley, H. (2007, August 20). The Project Gutenberg ebook, Essay on Man. . Retrieved May 26, 2014, from
Livingstone, C. (2008). Oxford Mini Dictionary & Thesaurus ( ed.). New York: Oxfor.....
The comparison and contradicting point of man and nature view based on both poem.
Conclusion
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