Write the summary and explanation of the play "In Defence of

Write the summary and explanation of the play “In Defence of Ignorance”.

Ans.

The essay In Defence of Ignorance teaches us that we should always save ourselves from becoming vain. But it is not pessimistic. The essayist surveys the vastness of the ignorance of man and tells that no man in the world, not even the wisest can claim that he knows everything. Even the most ignorant and illiterate man knows those things about which the greatest men know nothing. A man should strive to get knowledge from wherever he can and it is never humiliating. The real pleasure of life lies in healthy feelings and not in knowing everything.

Explanations

(1) I surveyed my title to this reputation for learning, and was shocked at the poverty of my estate. As I contrasted the mountain of things I didn’t know with the molehill of things I did know, my self-esteem sank to zero.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the essay entitled ‘In Defence of Ignorance, written by A. G. Gardiner under the pseudonym ‘Alpha of the Plough’, in order to conceal his identity.

Through a letter a young man, lamenting his ignorance, sought Gardiner’s advice about the books he should read to become wise and learned. Gardiner advised him through a polite letter. But later he felt uncertain about his competence to give such advice.

Explanation: After giving advice to the young man through a polite letter about books which he should study to remove the darkness of ignorance, the essayist suspected on his own ability and knowledge. On thinking about this matter seriously, he did not feel happy that he was a reputed scholar and his advice was sought. On the contrary, he felt uneasy and his feelings were the same as that of a person who travelled first on a third class ticket. He examined his claim to scholarship and on honest introspection he was shocked at his ignorance. When he contrasted his. meagre knowledge with the vastness of his ignorance, he sank to the bottom in his own esteem. He felt that he was ignorant and the young man should not have sought his advice.

Comments: 1. The essayist’s displaying great tactfulness in selecting himself as an ignorant person.

2. If the essayist makes somebody else the target he would give offence but by projecting himself an ignorant person, he runs no such risk.

3. His using contrast to drive his point home.

(2) And when it comes to the ultimate mysteries of this aggregation of atoms which we call the human body, the medical student and indeed, the whole Medical Faculty would be found to be nearly as ignorant as the boy was about the diaphragm.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the essay entitled ‘In Defence of Ignorance’, written by A. G. Gardiner under the pseudonym Alpha of the Plough”.

In order to show the immense ignorance of those who enjoy the reputation of being wise and learned, the essayist selects himself as an example. He confesses that despite his reputation of being a scholar, he is an ignorant person. The essayist observes that he may laugh at the ignorance of the boy, but any medical student may laugh at him if he admits that he does not have any knowledge of the functioning of diaphragm.

Explanation: In order to show that he was really ignorant about the most common and familiar things, the essayist began with himself. He spoke about his own body. He asked himself what more he knew about his own body. His body was a bundle of mysteries in garments. He could not tell where different parts and organs of his body were, without looking into a dictionary. He gave the example of a boy whose teacher asked him where the diaphragm was. The boy replied that it was in the North Staffordshire. The essayist might laugh at the ignorance of the boy. If the essayist told what he did not know about the diaphragm any young medical student might laugh at him as he did at the little boy. But when the mysteries and complexities of this boy were considered, the entire medical faculty might be found as ignorant as the young boy was about diaphragm.

Comments: 1. The essayist’s taking the anecdote of the boy who, on being asked by his teacher where the diaphragm was, replied that it was in North Staffordshire.

2. The essayist’s showing that each is ignorant.

3. The essayist’s convincing the reader by his observations and logics.

(3) And as to the mystery of their being, by what miracle they grow and transmute the secretions of the earth and air into life and beauty-why, my dear young sir, I am no more communicative than the needy knife-grinder.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the essay entitled ‘In Defence of Ignorance’, written by A. G. Gardiner, under pseudonym ‘Alpha of the Plough.

The essayist examines his reputation of being a scholar. On honest introspection he concludes that he is an ignorant person. He observes the vast areas of his ignorance, including most familiar objects like his own body and the stars and constellations in the sky. Here the essayist shows his ignorance about the flowers.

Explanation: While moving to all functions of life, the essayist found himself to be ignorant in every field. According to the essayist, even the most knowledgeable astronomer, Carlyle did not know much about the immensity of the constellation or the space in which it was situated. It was mind-boggling to think of the immensity and vastness of the space. He was confusing either way to consider the universe as finite or infinite. It was difficult to even remember the names of the summer flowers year after year. It was a miracle how the flowers grew; how the secretions of the earth and air were turned into things of beauty. He had no explanation. He was as ignorant about this mystery as the knife grinder was about any staug.

comments: 1. The essayist’s confession of his ignorance about most of things around him, is not humiliating.

2. Gardiner’s honesty and candour are very effective.

3. Gardiner’s convincing his readers by his observations and logics.

(4) Did I feel foolish, young sir? Of course I felt foolish, but not more foolish than I have felt on a thousand other occasions. And you ask me for advice.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the essay entitled ‘In Defence of Ignorance’, written by A. G. Gardiner under the pseudonym “Alpha of the Plough’.

After giving an advice to the young man as the essayist thought proper, he (the essayist) felt uncertain about his competence to do so. He indulged in an honest introspection and concluded that he did not know about the objects and activities around him although he was reputed to be a scholar. He also did not know much about his routine things.

Explanation: The essayist confessed that he could not try doing anything outside his own field without feeling that he was meddling with things about which!. he did not know anything. While digging in his vegetable garden, he came upon a tangled mass of roots which he thought were harmful for his carrots and potatoes. So he decided to remove them. But the deeper he dug, the more thick they became. His furious digging made him perspire profusely but the roots were there. He sought the help of the expert bee keeper. She looked into the roots and told him that he was damaging the ivy-grown tree about a dozen yards away. He looked as foolish as he had looked on many other occasions when he tried his hands into alien fields. He, then, again in his thought, told the young man, who sought the essayist’s advice about the books he should read to become very wise and learned, very pointedly: “And you ask me for advice”. The essayist means to say that since the extent of his ignorance was so vast he was not competent morally, at least, to advise others.

Comments: 1. In essayist’s opinion, the mystery and miracle of human body, of the stars and constellations, and of the flowers are likewise baffling and beyond even the experts and specialists of respective fields although they are credited with much knowledge.

2. Gardiner wished to prick the bubble of human vanity. If he called somebody ignorant or exposed his knowledge or reputation of being knowledgeable he would incur his wrath and also ran the risk of being termed uncultured.

(5) And then he went on to tell me of a score of other poplars-their appearance. their habits, and their origins-quite kindly and without any knowledge of the withering blight that had fallen upon my cocksure ignorance.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the essay entitled ‘In Defence of Ignorance’, written by A. G. Gardiner under the pseudonym “Alpha of the Plough’ to conceal his identity.

When the essayist was young, he was driven through a woodland country by an old innkeeper. The essayist talked about a tree on the way and the innkeeper called it a poplar. In the arrogance of knowledge, the essayist disagreed with the old man and told him the characteristic features of the poplar. Giving the right information to the essayist about the tree, the old man told him that he (the essayist) was thinking it the Lombardy poplar whereas it was an Egyptian poplar.

Explanation: The essayist recalled one of the occasions when he was corrected by punishment. During his younger days he was driven through a woodland by an old inn-keeper. The essayist spoke to the old man about a tree and the old man called it a poplar. The young essayist, with great confidence, told the old inn-keeper that it was not a poplar and described what he thought were the characteristics of a poplar tree, but the essayist was rudely shocked when the old man told him that the tree he had described was the Lombardy poplar but this tree was the Egyptian poplar. All the enthusiasm of the essayist to make a display of his knowledge about the trees disappeared.

Comment: 1. By giving his personal examples, the essayist enables us to feel and realize why people who make indiscreet display of their half baked knowledge or information are called pedants.

2. Enjoying at his own expense is not only a manifestation of Gardiner’s innate goodness but also an effective tool to achieve his purpose. Gardiner has many such tools and implements in his repertory of literary craft.

(6) But I think he did me good, and I often recall him to mind when 1 feel disposed to give other people information that they possibly do not need.

Reference to the Context: These lines have been extracted from the essay entitled ‘In Defence of Ignorance’, written by A. G. Gardiner, under pseudonym Alpha of the Plough, to conceal his identity.

The essayist recounts an incident when he was young and too cocksure of himself and this led to an experience which caused him considerable distress. On that occasion, the essayist carried coal to Newscastle.

Explanation: When the essayist was young, he was driven through a woodland by an old inn-keeper. The essayist talked about a tree and the old inn-keeper called it a poplar. The young essayist with great confidence told the old inn-keeper that it was not a poplar and described what he thought were the characteristics of the poplar tree. In this way he corrected the old man. If the young essayist knew that the old inn-keeper had passed his life in tree culture and had been a forester to a Scotch duke, he would not have committed the blunder he did. The kind inn-keeper told the essayist that the features described by him were those of a Lombardy poplar whereas the tree in question was an Egyptian poplar. There was no malice or resentment in the inn-keeper. He was polite and humble and his knowledge and demeanour had the desired effect on the young essayist. The essayist felt foolish to have tried to tell what a poplar was like. But the essayist felt that the old inn keeper did him much good. Whenever the essayist felt like giving advice or information about anything to anybody he remembered the experience with the old inn-keeper. Perhaps that person did not need the advice or information the essayist was going to give him. Perhaps he already knew more than what the essayist was going to tell him.

Comments: 1. Gardiner’s confession of his ignorance about most of the things and activities around him is not degrading or humiliating.

2. His honesty and candour are very effective and force his readers too, for an honest introspection.

3. His ingenuity lies in choosing such instances to illustrate his point. He uses them to derive suitable morals or conclusions to enlighten his readers.