DEEPAK KUMAR THAKUR 320366 ENGLISH PRESENTATION On_Superstitions_Gardiner BA POLITICAL SCIENCE 3RD YEAR 6TH SEM.pptx

English PPT presentation of iehe bhopal

1. INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION ENGLISH PRESENTATION ON SUPERSTITION AG GARDINER DEEPAK KUMAR THAKUR 320366 BA. POLITICAL SCIENCE 3 RD YEAR 6 TH SEM

2. Alfred George Gardiner “On Superstitions”   

3. Alfred George Gardiner (1865-1946) Modern age writer of England Wrote under the pen name- ‘alpha of the plough’. From 1915 he contributed to The Star under this pseudonym. Served as a journalist, editor, and author Editor of the Daily News , London and the President of the Institute of Journalists Witnessed the World War I which exerted deep impact on his mind His major works include: Pillars of Society (1913), The War Lords (1915), and Pebbles on the Shore (1916), Leaves in the Wind (1920), Many Furrows (1924), many others.

4. Gardiner’s Prose Style Journalistic Intimate and conversationalist Satirical and humourous Use of allusions occasionally

5. “On Superstitions” The essay is an attack on the prevalence of superstitious belief even in the modern age. He refers to the city of London and says that in the age of science and technology where rationality should prevail, some people are still superstitious about number 13. He then refers to various other such situations from past and present to argue on how dangers have been invited on account of superstitions in past. The author, therefore, urges us to critically examine the existing notions to differentiate between facts and superstitions.

6. Summary of the essay Para 1 The author begins by reporting a murder which had taken place at a house with the number 13 in a street. He adds that the murder or crime could have taken place at any other house with number 6 or 7 but when it is the turn of number 13, it becomes inevitable for people to ignore it. Similarly, people tend to refuse to buy a house whose number is 13 and might refrain from joining a dinner party which would be joined by 13 people. We, being modern men, might not accept that we are superstitious but it is the truth because we would be more inclined to live in house no. 11 and may wish one member to catch cold so reduce the number at dinner party from 13.

7. Para 2 There are various signs to prove that we are superstitious even in this age. There are several streets in London like other big towns of the world but it is difficult to find street number 13 or see bed number 13 in the hospitals. Though superstition in the modern age is an out dated subject matter, yet it is clearly evident when it is to judge the merits of a landlord’s house whose number is 13 or to realize the curative properties of a hospital bed with the same number. The author, however, asks to give “concession to the superstition” to avoid bed number 13 in a hospital because it is related to life and death. Physical recovery is more a concern of mental state than the fitness of body. He refers to the ‘lady with the lamp’ Florence Nightingale who passionately advocated that in the room of a sick person beautiful flowers should be inevitablely kept as it boosts positivity and helps in fast recovery of the health. Gardiner then mentions the French author M. Duhamel who served as a doctor in the World War I. Duhamel recorded in his writings that how a man, badly injured in the battlefield, overcame his wound after getting treatment in the hospital but died of just a little pimple on his nose. It was so because he discovered that he was kept on the bed number 13 and this was sufficient to shake his confidence and will-power to survive. In nutshell, he died of neither war injuries, nor pimple, he died of superstition.

8. Para 3 Gardiner in this paragraph says that it is difficult for him too to claim to be absolutely free from superstition but he would like to experiment with few popular superstitious beliefs to test their validity. He shares that he often used to travel by the bus number 13 in London and found “the most civic treatment from it”. He never felt any inconvenience while traveling in that bus. The next scrutiny made by the author is that of the notion associated with a standing ladder in the house. He suggests that we should prefer to walk around it rather than under it. The prohibition to walk under the ladder is largely due to the safety concern and there is no superstition linked to it. He warns us that our examination of such notions should be proportionate and justified so that we don ’ t fall in danger just to flaunt our disbelief in superstition. To quote him, “no doubt many of our superstitions have these commonplace and sensible origins”. To extend the idea, he adds that the Jewish objection to pork as unclean is not guided by any religious or superstitious concern but because of the eastern climate.

9. Para 4 Here is again an extension of the previous idea regarding the standing ladder. Gardiner says that the only way to overcome the dilemma to move around the ladder or move under the ladder is to move through the ladder. Similarly, he prefers to see the moon through the naked eyes than through the glass. Here too he questions various superstitions that we practice in our day to day life but at the same time it is very difficult for him also to be completely immune to it.

10. Para 5 “But these shadowy reminiscences of antique credulity” which means ‘superstition’ here is though a practice of ancient time but it still exists because we believe in it. It should be an outdated thing today as it doesn’t do any good to us. It was believed that this will vanish from the world after discovering the laws of universe with the help of science but it did not happen. To be superstitious during those days was acceptable to some extent when “the functions of nature was unexplored” and nothing was under human control. Man, in ancient time, used to predict everything on the basis of natural phenomena, viz. fate in the clouds, happiness or misery in the flight of birds etc. He then mentions those incidents of past in which the fate turned completely the other way just because of people’s faith in superstitious ideas. Greek historian Thucydides mentions the postponement of a battle simply because the leaf fell against it.

11. Para 5 ( Contd …) When Pompey (Roman general who fought against Caesar) apprehended that the Romans would elect Cato (a Roman stoic philosopher, supported Pompey against Caesar) as Praetor (Roman general), he shouted in the assembly that he heard thunder. Since, Romans would never proceed for any work if there is thunder, the election got postponed. The great Alexander too believed in the words of fortune tellers. The essayist then cites the case of the great Roman statesman , orator and lawyer Cicero who left his life to be decided by superstition. He believed in the signals given by crows and lost his life while he could have save it in his battle with Antony and Caesar. Not only this, the farmers of the Ancient Greece also depended much on the oracles of soothsayers instead of trusting their farming skills, unlike the modern day farmers who care more for the manures and fertilizers.

12. Para 6 (Concluding paragraph) In the last paragraph, Gardiner beautifully sums up his argument by saying that he too would have loved to see Caesar and heard the oration of Cicero but might not have enjoyed the age shrouded by the darkness of superstitions and oracles. He tells that we are fortunate that we live in the modern age which is governed by knowledge and reason. It is better to rejoice light when there is no darkness. He quotes from The Dynasts (1904) authored by the great Victorian age novelist Thomas Hardy to say that certainly our forefathers were great visionaries but we are blessed that we are no more governed by the shadow of strange beliefs of their time. At least, we do not look for instructions for our life in the animals or crows like them and the best thing is that the House of Commons (the lower house of the parliament of UK) is not adjourned (suspended, postponed) merely because of the roaring of thunder. In other words, the modern age of science and reason should enable us to examine the relevance and validity of superstitious notions so that we don ’ t get guided by these irrelevant ideas and practices.