LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:5 May 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Humanistic Approaches in the Selected Works of
Rabindranath Tagore

M. Sriprabha
G. Sankar

Abstract

Tagore’s humanism is mainly expressed through his concept of inter-personal (I and thou) relationship. I shall discuss here Tagore’s humanism vis-à-vis inter-personal relationship. In order to expound this idea, I shall embark on his concept of man; man the finite and man the infinite, man within bounds and man the boundless. Tagore has reflected comprehensively and intensely on the ontological status of man in idiosyncratic dimensions and the revelation of the meaning in relation (a) to nature and (b) to modes of inter-personal relationship. I have also discussed the role of language in understanding inter-personal relationship, and finally arrive at the conclusion that the inter-personal relationship of I and thou takes the form of intra-personal relationship of I am thou. Humanism is emphasizing the importance of human beings – their nature and place in the universe. It means love of man with all his flaws and fallacies. It is an attitude that concentrates on the activities of man more than the super natural world. During the colonial rule, the British lost their humanity and were brutal and cruel towards their fellow- beings. Many novelists used their pens to protest against the violence of the British. Rabindranath Tagore is one of them who used his pen over swords to vehemently protest against the cruelty meted out to his fellow-beings. In this paper, I shall discuss humanism as a concept in Indian English Literature with reference to Tagore’s novel Home and the World. The three main characters of the novel portray different personalities and thus reflect humanism.

Keywords: Rabindranath Tagore, Humanism, Home and the World, Indian English literature

Introduction

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Humanism as “A rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters.” Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence over established doctrine or faith. The meaning of the term humanism has fluctuated, according to the successive intellectual movements which have identified with it. Although humanism lost its significance a long time ago, a certain naivety about its natural and obvious connotations, complicated by anthropological hubris, lingers on. The tendency consequently is to compulsively and exclusively read humaneness, universal compassion and glory into humanism. Neither the violence of the human being nor the violence on the human being gets registered in the process.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

M. Sriprabha
Assistant Professor
Department of English
SVS College of Engineering
Coimbatore - 641032
Tamilnadu
India
sriprabhaenglish@gmail.com

G. Sankar
Assistant Professor
Department of English
SVS College of Engineering
Coimbatore - 641032
Tamilnadu
India
sankarliterature@gmail.com
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