According to the writer, the element of pleasure shows a serious threat to the modern civilization. Discuss it.

Or

The danger to our civilization is very grave. Discuss it.

Or

The life of the modern man has become much more mechanical. Discuss it in your own words.

Or

The enemy to our civilization is from within. Discuss it.

Or

Discuss, in your own words, the recreation of the 17th century people.

Ans.

Pleasure as the serious threat to the modern civilization

It is necessary to mention that the people regard a great threat by war to the modern civilization. The people think that the modern war with all its nuclear weapons will destroy our civilization one day out-and-out. The writer has his different opinion. He thinks that our civilization has survived many wars in the past, so it would face any such challenge successfully in future also. At present we see that wars are still fought in any part of the world but their effect is only local. It has not posed any serious threat to our civilization any more. There is another danger which is more dangerous than war and it is the danger from any pleasure. We should be careful about the danger from any kind of pleasure.

Modern man’s life has become mechanical

It is necessary to add that the life of the modern man has become very mechanical. Its reason is that the work of such man in his office or in his factory depends on the use of machines because he does not make use of his mind in his worth. The total work in the office, or in the factory is completed by machines and job of a man is only to attend on these machines. He gets some free time only after we stop the work of machine. In that free time the man needs some distraction for the recreation of his mind, we also make use of some. machines for our recreation. We also use machines even to get some recreation related to our mind. We also need the use of television to get some recreation after doing our work. We switch on our television to see any programme on our TV to get some recreation to make our mind free from any hurry, worry. Each and every man now depends on machines because he does nothing from his own mind. He does not use his mind either in any work or in any pleasure. In this way we lose our energy and we become inactive and very lazy. In this way the use of machine is an obstacle in our civilization.

The enemy to our civilization is from within, etc.

The enemies to our civilization come from within with no danger from without. In the past such danger came from the attacks of the savage people but today our civilization has spread far and wide. They have impressed to become civilized. They make use of many means of happy life which our civilization has given to us. They are also the means of our pleasure but we use them in a foolish manner due to the want of intellect.

In the past the common means of recreation were games, sports, dancing, singing and acting in a drama. Then they enjoyed in such manner. They themself used to take part in singing, dancing and other games and sports. They were active in their recreation as well as in their mirth. Their energy helped in the progress of civilization.

Seventeenth century people

It was in the seventeenth century when the people used their mind while enjoying recreation. During the Elizabethan times a gentleman or a lady of ordinary culture took part in the old games and sports. Even the uneducated vulgar enjoyed such games and sports like singing and dancing with some intelligence. During modern times people depended on others for their recreation who took part in singing and dancing. At present literature has been replaced by the press as the mass media.

The modern civilization has made man very lazy and his mind has become very weak due to the want of making the proper use of mind. Its reason is that the people make great use of readymade distractions which need not the use of our mind. The more use they make of the readymade distractions, our mind will need more situations to develop our mental faculties then our mind will need more volent and rough means of recreations and they can be got in an illegal manner. It will bring about the end of our civilization.

• Discuss Rabindranath Tagore as a poet.

• Write the critical appreciation of the poem No. 12 entitled Far Below Flowed.

• Write the critical appreciation of the poem No. 11 entitled Leave this Chanting.