The Browning Version

Crocker-Harris was teacher of Taplow. According to Taplow he is a person who follow strict principles and a hard working person as he arranged a class even on the last day of school. He was unbiased to Taplow and gave him what he deserves to get as marks. He is a person who does not like to be liked by someone and he is totally feeling less with his students, being a strict person he was still favourite of Taplow as he is hard working and give his best towards his student. Taplow while talking to Frank about Crocker-Harris also said that he was not sadist but yeah he was strict.

Yes, Frank encouraged Taplow’s comment on Shrivelled up. When Taplow was telling about Crocker-Harris to Frank that “Crocker-Harris is a person who was shrivelled up inside like a nut and he seems to hate people to like him.” Frank very cleverly encouraged Taplow to speak more about Crocker-Harris by asking several questions. He also repeated the name “Crocker-Harris” while conversation between him and Taplow so that Taplow speak something more about Crocker-Harris.

Crocker-Harris was a teacher who was the one who strictly follow his rules, regulations and principles. He was a person who believes in taking unbiased decisions in regard to his students and he is an emotionless person for his students so that he can treat everyone equally. He was not a sadist, but was strict towards his duties. He was strict towards his duties shows that when he arranged class even on the last of school.

Off course teachers like Crocker-Harris get respect, every student wants teacher who takes fair decisions for each students. Keeping strictness apart, he was passionate about his duties and work. Every teacher who is kind and loyal towards his job is respected by every student. On the other side, If a teacher is literal but is biased, giving priority to some selected students and do not teach properly never get respect. Hence, a good teacher is one who never gives up his or her job.

It is a mixture of both appreciation and ingratitude, some teachers who are kind and serve their time towards their students with full determination without doing discrimination in them are appreciated and they deserve that. On the other hand, teachers who are cruel, full of attitude and do not give time to students, lacks their determination in serving students are never appreciated as they don’t deserve that so if we interact with those teachers whom we love to interact share all good and bad things about teachers.

Everyone have their own perception and they prefer accordingly what they like. Some like to read plays and dramas and someone who is inclined towards practical aspect love to study science. Reading plays are more interesting than studying science for those who love to read literature and are more inclined towards knowing about stories and dramas. Someone who is reading lover seems reading plays more interesting those technical facts and figures.

Perfectionist

Pacifist

Nihilist

Optimistic

Conventionalist

Materialist

The thematic comprehension in this poem is “Childhood.” The poem talks about losing of childhood and gaining of adolescence. Poet is willing to gain the stage of adult so that he must have control on himself.

•Individuality: Third Stanza

Explanation: In third stanza poet was talking about himself wondering that when my childhood was go, when I will will take decision of mine own mind, when I will produce thought of my own. He was eagerly waiting for the day. Here “I” signifies Individuality.

Poem perfectly reflects its theme and gave a beautifully weaved distinction between childhood and adolescence stage. The innocence of childhood is compared with fake love of adults and dominant nature of adult. Poet also told that with changing stage from childhood to adult he will gain maturity in him.

•Rationalism: First Stanza

Explanation: Rationalism means the principle of finding opinion and actions on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response. In first stanza when poet was saying that “Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven, Could not be found in Geography,” poet meant to say that when his childhood will go and he will gain his own state of mind and he will realise that hell and heaven does not really exist in the geography here “Hell and Heaven” signifies rationalism.

The lines in this poem is very beautifully summed up with poetic lines giving a meaningful conclusion, from conversion of childhood to adult, childhood lost somewhere in hidden memories and it gives birth to adultness.

•Hypocrisy: Second Stanza

Explanation: In second stanza when poet talked about adults, he believe that adults are not that what they show to be is that he are hypocrites as they talk of love but they do not act lovingly. Poet is showing childhood complaints which every kid does when they bound to do things.

According to poem, the poet was trying to direct the process of growing from a childhood stage to adolescence stage. With loss of childhood poet believe that he will gain some characteristics that will perfectly define his adolescence. These characteristics are: understanding the rationalism and discrimination, understating the hypocrisy that adults show, understanding the power of individualism and self-confidence.

The poet feels that childhood was a stage from where the next stage that is adolescence initiates. Childhood was the stage where there is a tendency to believe things earlier, a child believe easily what adult speak. The poet was willing to move towards his adolescence stage as a poet is willing to understand rationalism, discrimination, hypocrisy, individualism and self-confidence and poet do not have any regret of losing his childhood.

The following lines in the poem are most poetic:

It went to some forgotten place,

That’s hidden in an infant’s face,

That’s all I know.

These lines beautifully weaved that signifies the process of growth of childhood. Adolescence is result or outcome of growth of childhood. Poet in these lines trying to say that, childhood disappears at a particular stage of life. These lines have hidden meaning in it; according to poet an infant’s face which is innocent hides many things behind its smile. Poet trying to say that, with loss of childhood some forgotten place lying buried deep inside a child’s consciousness.

i) Remove: By remove Taplow meant to say examination result. He meant to say that if he will get better “remove” then he will be in next term.

ii) Kept in: Grounded

iii) Sadist: A person who derives happiness from hurting someone or giving pain to someone.

Explanation: In this text, Taplow is telling about Crocker-Harris to Frank that he is “sadist”.

iv) Slackers: The students who is not able to clear exam or next term.

v) Got carried away: getting very excited or lose control

Explanation: like Taplow lost his control while talking about Crocker-Harris with Frank.

vi) Shrivelled up: Literally shrivelled up means dry up or mummify.

Explanation: In this text it means that something that made Shrivelled up unhappy from inside and that “something” relates to Crocker-Harris who doesn’t like being liked

vii) Muck: Muck means useless, In this text Taplow indicating book as muck as he thinks that hard Greek words used in it is muck and a lengthy drama too which is totally useless and Science is much better than that.

viii) Cut: escape

Sadist is a person who derives happiness from hurting someone or giving pain to someone. Sadistic personality disorder is a term for individuals who derive pleasure from suffering of others. In other words, sadist is someone who enjoys inflicting pain on others, they like to bully others is considered as sadist. Anyone who tortures another human being is sadist.

Global Comprehension means understanding the meaning of what you listening and reading. While reading any novel or play the things you grab from it, understand it and decode in your own sense while reading is a global comprehension and when a person listen to someone reading, listen to someone doing a play make sense on what is coming into his or her ears by air sensation and understand by his or her own words and understand it. This is what global comprehension is all about.

Things really depends whether you are commenting on teachers is in right sense or wrong sense. Every student has their own view and state of mind, some praise teacher while some do not. Image of teacher is also a big factor which decides the comments of the students for his or her teacher. If teacher is showing good response towards students they will absolutely appreciate his or teacher and if a teacher does not give that response which does not fulfil expectations of students they won’t be appreciated. If students give humorous feedback in his or comments while making joke of his or her teacher in any way, this will be a spirit of good humour for a teacher.

It too depends on nature of a person, if a person is of fake nature he or she will talk bad things about others, and he or she will appreciate anyone as they just know fake tantrums. This kind of person keeps on cracking jokes and taunting others. On the other hand if a person is of kind nature, he or she will always talk positive for others. This kind of person try to find good things in others in their absence too like what Taplow did in this whole play, he appreciated his sir Crocker-Harris, his sir was somewhat rude and strict in nature but still Taplow likes him and he appreciated his determination towards his students and even his principles which is unbiased towards each and every student. In absence of Crocker-Harris, when Taplow was talking about him with Frank he told him that he like him as he is.

•Dichotomy means a division or a contrast between two things which entirely oppose each other. Science and Literature are two very different aspects and they lie on two different opposing points. Difference between both is as follows:

•Science relies on true and exact figures and accuracy is most important, and on the other side Literature relies on imagination and fiction which do not have any relation with accuracy.

•Science plays a big role in human development and civilisation while Literature is a reflection of ideas which in turn entertain people who love reading.

•Innovation and discovery is a second name of Science while abstraction reflects Literature.

•Science is discovery, whereas Literature is creativity. Science is a discovery of Scientists and is surrounds by laws and principles, it is about asking questions on different aspects and forming hypothesis. Science is human exploration and every principle is formed with years of experiments. While on the other hand, Literature is a human creation and is based on writer’s imagination.