I A Richards: The Figurative Language

   
    I.A. Richards, in full Ivor Armstrong Richards, (born Feb. 26, 1893, Sandbach, Cheshire, Eng.—died Sept. 7, 1979, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire), English critic, poet, and teacher who was highly influential in developing a new way of reading poetrythat led to the New Criticism and that also influenced some forms of reader-response criticism.

       Richards was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and was a lecturer in English and moral sciences there from 1922 to 1929. In that period he wrote three of his most influential books: The Meaning of Meaning (1923; with C.K. Ogden), a pioneer work on semantics; and Principles of Literary Criticism (1924) and Practical Criticism (1929), companion volumes that he used to develop his critical method. The latter two were based on experimental pedagogy: Richards would give students poems in which the titles and authors’ names had been removed and then use their responses for further development of their “close reading” skills. Richards is best known for advancing the close reading of literature and for articulating the theoretical principles upon which these skills lead to “practical criticism,” a method of increasing readers’ analytic powers.

         During the 1930s, Richards spent much of his time developing Basic English, a system originated by Ogden that employed only 850 words; Richards believed a universally intelligible language would help to bring about international understanding. He took Basic English to China as a visiting professor at Tsing Hua University (1929-30) and as director of the Orthological Institute of China (1936-38). In 1942 he published a version of Plato’s Republic in Basic English. He became professor of English at Harvard University in 1939, working mainly in primary education, and emeritus professor there in 1963. His speculative and theoretical works include Science and Poetry (1926; revised as Poetries and Sciences, 1970), Mencius on the Mind(1932), Coleridge on Imagination (1934), The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1936), Speculative Instruments (1955), Beyond (1974), Poetries(1974), and Complementarities (1976). His verse has been collected in Internal Colloquies (1971) and New and Selected Poems (1978). 

A student of psychology and philosophyalong with literary forms, Richards concluded that poetry performs a therapeutic function by coordinating a variety of human impulses into an aesthetic whole, helping both the writer and the reader maintain their psychological well-being. He valued a “poetry of inclusion” that was able to contain the widest variety of warring tensions and oppositions.

          Below i am sharing some of the India song lyrics which we will try to see with the scope of Richard's critical points like figurative language, paradox in language and problematizing the words in given work of art

First we will try to look at one gazal sung by Jagjit Singh - koi fariyad from the movie TUM BIN. 

Koyi Fariyaad Tere Dil Mein Dabi Ho Jaise
Koyi Fariyaad Tere Dil Mein Dabi Ho Jaise
Tune Aankhon Se Koyi Baat Kahi Ho Jaise
Jaagte Jaagte Ek Umar Kati Ho Jaise
Jaagte Jaagte Ek Umar Kati Ho Jaise
Jaan Baaki Hai Magar Saans Ruki Ho Jaise

Jaanta Hoon Aapko Sahare Ki Zarurat Nahin
Main Sirf Saath Dene Aaya Hoon

Har Mulaakat Pe Mehsoos Yehi Hota Hai
Har Mulaakat Pe Mehsoos Yehi Hota Hai
Mujhse Kuch Teri Nazar Pooch Rahi Ho Jaise

Raah Chalte Huye Aksar Yeh Ghumaan Hota Hai
Raah Chalte Huye Aksar Yeh Ghumaan Hota Hai
Woh Nazar Chupke Mujhe Dekh Rahi Ho Jaise
Woh Nazar Chupke Mujhe Dekh Rahi Ho Jaise

Ek Lamhein Mein Simat Aaya Hai Sadiyon Ka Safar
Ek Lamhein Mein Simat Aaya Hai Sadiyon Ka Safar
Zindagi Tej Bahut Tej Chali Ho Jaise
Zindagi Tej Bahut Tej Chali Ho Jaise

Iss Tarah Pehron Tujhe Sochta Rahta Hoon Main
Iss Tarah Pehron Tujhe Sochta Rahta Hoon Main
Meri Har Saans Tere Naam Likhi Ho Jaise
Meri Har Saans Tere Naam Likhi Ho Jaise

Koyi Fariyaad Tere Dil Mein Dabi Ho Jaise
Tune Aankhon Se Koyi Baat Kahi Ho Jaise
Jaagte Jaagte Ek Umar Kati Ho Jaise
Jaan Baaki Hai Magar Saans Ruki Ho Jaise

          Lyrics of the gazal are crafted very well. the gazal starts as the male singer is singing and thinking within the mind about the female character and her sorrow and pain. from the very first line we can see the figurative language for some complain which she has in her mind but if we take the meaning literary it means that there is some complain which is stuck in her heart, when we take the line literally we can problematize the line. then we can see all this in the fourth line which means a time of ones entire life is passed while he/she is awaken. we can understand the hidden massage that the one is in a deep thinking or in a deep griff. while thinking the other side one person can not stay awake for more than 11 days (scientifically proven). First line of 4th stanza is one of the most apt for our study. it says that a journey of centuries shrink and comes in a moment.in this the lyricist tries to say that,' the memories of so many days rushes to to the mind in fraction of seconds.the following line connects with that the memories rushed in the mind is like life went on so fast and the recollection of memories came.so from this illustration we can connect the theory.


          The second song is Bol na halke halke from movie Jhoom barabar Jhoom sung by Rahat Fateh ali khan & Mahalakshami iyer.

धागे तोड़ लाओ चाँदनी से नूर के
घूंघट ही बना लो रोशनी से नूर के
शर्मा गयी तो आगोश में लो
साँसों से उलझी रहे मेरी सांसें
बोल ना हलके-हलके, बोल ना हलके-हलके,
होंठ से हलके-हलके, बोल ना हलके

आ नींद का सौदा करें, इक ख्वाब दें, इक ख्वाब लें
इक ख्वाब तो आँखों में है, इक चाँद के तकिये तलें
कितने दिनों से ये आसमान भी सोया नहीं है, इसको सुला दें
बोल ना हलके हलके...

उम्र लगी कहते हुए, दो लफ्ज़ थे इक बात थी
वो इक दिन सौ साल का, सौ साल की वो रात थी
कैसा लगे जो चुप-चाप दोनों, पल-पल में पूरी सदियाँ बिता दें
बोल ना हलके हलके...

         This song is basically a romantic song which is a talk between a couple and their love for each-other.

         The first line of the song it self is highly figurative. it says tear down the thread of light from the moon light, than it goes as make veil of the light from sunlight. Than in forth line it goes as like breath of both are entangle with each-other. in seventh line it says that let us tread our sleep by giving each other one dream on ours. than in eighth line they made moon a pillow. From many days this sky hadn't took any sleep, let us make it sleep the following lines says this. and in the last stanza it says that, it took the time of many generation to tell tow words.that one day and night was of hundred years. how it feels when we both lives hundreds of years in fractions of seconds.  
         we can problematize  every line which we have just discussed. like there is no light which is in a form of thread then breath can't be entangled with each other. there is a point where they say that both lived hundred years in seconds. 

      Thus we can see figurative language paradox in language and problematizing the words in given work of art.


thank you.