Page 119 - DENG104_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_I

Elective English–I

Notes or accepted as a guide for governing the man in a nutshell. A freedom fixes the limits and
defines the relations of the moral, ethical and powers of the state of mind, thus setting up the
basis for life.
The first line of the poem is one of the most significant sub clauses which goes to build up
the poem. The ‘World of Freedom’, which Tagore envisions for his countrymen, can only be
attained if we possess a fearless mind. Only a fearless mind can hold its head upright. So, to
attain true freedom one has to have a mind which is ‘Without fear’. Thus, the poet wishes to
be awakened to a heaven where the mind can work fearlessly and the spirit can hold its head
high and again its knowledge is crystal clear reasoning:
”Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;”
A free country means where one can acquire knowledge in all freedom of choice. The big
world of man is fragmented or restricted to small mutually exclusive compartments. The poet
preaches that our minds, instead of being engulfed in such prejudices and narrow superstitions,
must be enriched by thoughts and actions, which are worthy and beneficial for the sake of the
country:
“Where the world has not been
broken up into fragments by narrow
domestic walls;

Where words come out from
the depth of truth;”
In an ideal free country everybody speaks his/her heart clear, where actions flow in the form
of various streams moving from success to success, where petty conventions do not stagnant
the course of judgment. Tagore entertains a system of thought that emphasizes the role of
reason in obtaining knowledge. He also emphasizes the role of experience, especially sense
perception. Tagore also attempts to tie various perceptions of the world together in some way.
The comparative study of variegated knowledge would led to the reconstruction of a hypothetical
parent Ideal to account for striking similarities among the various perceptions of East and West:
“Where tireless striving stretches its
arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary
desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by
thee into ever-widening thought and
action…”
According to Rabindranath Tagore, attainment of ideal freedom was definitely an arduous but
the most dreamy of situation in our country, in the pre independent India. Studies commissioned
by Tagore did determine with near certainty that declining moral values reflect cultural bias
in the country, in the sense that post independent India scores such bloodshed in the name of
religion. Here, Tagore remains an accurate predictor of Indian sociology. One must possess
a fearless mind with one’s head hold high in self-esteem. Knowledge gained by the countrymen

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