Rabindranath Tagore Essay Samples

Introduction

While reading through the Selected Poems: Rabindranath Tagore translated by William Radice, one cannot fail to notice the importance given to this man given his accomplishments a leader and poet. Through this reading, his achievements are recognizable going by the impact and legacy he left in the world and specifically India. It is clear that he defined his path that was different from his fathers and grandfathers instead choosing to borrow from their personalities and not the things they did. He defined and set himself aside as a person, and perhaps that is the reason Radice chooses to talk about him and the change he made in the world during his time.Most Important Aspects of the ReadingFrom this reading, one cannot fail to see the personality of Rabindranath though his engagements in society. He is termed as a perpetual innovator who was “constantly creating new forms and styles in his poetry; working fundamental changes in Bengali vocal music; introducing novel kinds of drama, opera and ballet” (Radice 18). It is no doubt that he was an instrument of change, and Radice clearly puts that down as a way of painting him as a formidable leader of his time. Just like he says in the poem Unending love, “ You become an image of what is remembered forever” (Radice 49), he is remembered forever. Through many of his actions within literature ad outside too, he brought change to society by even coming up with his school that could offer alternative education that put focus not in exams but the general growth in knowledge by Indian children. Radice talks of him as a poet, as “a romantic, he was modern, and he was human” (Radice 32); perhaps to talk about his many hats as a creative artist.Another aspect of the reading that is very important is the fact that even in all the good that he was willing to offer, he was considered radical because he always wanted to get to the bottom of everything. He could not take anything lightly and at the same time could not be termed a terrorist. He is lauded by Radice as a free thinker. Perhaps that is a sign that he was a true leader who let his subjects follow their paths of enlightenment as long as they were doing the right thing. He employed western success and creative work to weave his ideologies o so many issues, from within Bengal and outside. It is no wonder that “Gandhi and Nehru acknowledge their debt to him to the last, Gandhi calling him “The Great Sentinel”, the conscious of the subcontinent, Nehru.describing him, with Gandhi, as one the two outstanding personalities in the world in the last quarter of the 19th century (Radice 28).It is not surprising that he merged religion and tradition in a way that made the two seamlessly merge for the common good of man. He took his messianic role seriously and chattered a path that could leave a mark in Indian history as can be seen in the poem Question when talks of people leading religious lives. At the same time, he took a political stance when he tried to reach out to other countries and even Gandhi himself when he implored him to act in a certain manner with regard to governing India. His participation in international politics have also been highlighted especially when he offered “the defiant lectures against Nationalism in the Japan of 1916; the less- than- happy attempt to preach pan- Asianism in the turbulent China of 1924; the friendships with Romain Rolland (originating in a request from Rolland to Tagore to be a signatory to his ‘Declaration of Independence of the Spirit’ in 1919)” (Radice 24). Radice is keen to introduce to the reader, the true personality of Tagore by examining his personal and public life from different perspectives. As a leader, he is projected as one that left a mark in the history of politics and religion in the Asian continent.Methodological Approach and Resources Used by the AuthorRadice uses art- historical as well as textual evidence in his writing when he makes reference to Tagore. He uses a philosophical paradigm because he presents his facts as they are without making the reader know his stance on Tagore as a person. He gives his positive and negative sides but at the end of the day, the reader meets Tagore the person as he was. The sources of evidence used by the author is carried from a historical perspective as seen from how they are presented because they are taken from historical facts and references as well as using historical times and figures such as Gandhi and Nehru.QuestionWhy is Radice Dwelling so much on the positive aspects of his life while not pointing out the negatives because all humans have their negative attributes by nature? And if these negative attributes were highlighted, could they change the perception of the reader about Tagore?