Plato's objection to poetry and Aristotle's Reply

Paper No - 3

Literary Theory and Criticism 

Name :- Dharti makwana 

Batch :- 2019-2021

Roll No. :- 7

Semester :- M.A. Sem-1

Enrollment No. :- 2069108420200024 

Submitted  :- Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English, M.K.Bhavnagar University 

Email :- dharteemakwana789@gmail.com 

Paper No. :- Literary  Theory and Criticism : Western poetics-1

Topic :- Plato's objection to poetry and Aristotle's Reply

■ Plato's objection to poetry  :- 

               

                                

      

              Plato was a well-known philosopher and critic, teacher of Aristotle and student of Socrates in middle of B.C.E in Athens Greece and mostly influenced by his teachers Socrates usually Plato uses his own philosophy in his writing and raised question against ancient writing and other variety of things.He himself as a great poet and born to be having dramatic qualities.

              Although, in Literature philosopher has highest value as such has Plato but he  attacks on the idea of mimesis that means imitation.  He raised questions against how they are writing on illusions  and it leads people in the wrong direction because they have own imitation in different perspective to see the nature.

It's far away from reality because plato gives more importance to the truth and reality not to illusion. As  perspective of moralist of find the moral ideas and things that deals with the reality and gives truthful image of world. 

               Nonetheless, poet constantly uses the illusion and imitation of nature that is not actually based on the moral ideas but it relates to the falsehood. Plato said that poetry is immoral and further defined as philosophy is far more better than the poetry, art persist with the illusion and that appears in an imitation of an imitation in  Plato's theory of mimesis.

But Plato fails to explain about art also gives more than the absent in actual.Whereas, he elaborate ideas of truth of philosophy and given more importance to philosophy rather than the pleasure of poetry.

               If art being the imitation at that time actual meaning is removed from truth. Constantly it gives likeness of a thing concrete, it is always less than the real. Artist doesn't simply reflect the real image and the idea of ultimate reality it given in his work "Republic".

Things are called up as ideas that before they take practical shapes.  So, here ideas is real or original but the thing is copy from that an idea. 

■ Plato's three objection to poetry :- 

  Plato given three major objections to poetry,  there is no philosophical,ethical and pragmatic from Plato's point of view all art is imitated by nature also imitation of everybody's life. So, here given one example of carpenter and chair, chair is is an idea that come out from the mind of carpenter and therefore that Idea applied in physical shape out of wood created and the chair.

But when we focus on the point of view painter at that moment his idea twice different from reality, first painter imitated the image of chair by carpenter in his picture of the chair. 

Ethical	Poetry is not ethical because it emboldens undesirable passion.
Philosophical	It is not philosophical only because it cannot based on true knowledge and it depends upon illusion.
Pragmatic	Poetry is not pragmatic because it has no educational value and inferior to the practical art

Is primary objective is that in the Republic is to come out with the righteous way to live life and also convince people to live in that way further consider poetry as a means of achieving state and it helps a lot to be a better person. 

In Republic plato's poetry is overwhelmingly negative,  Plato's main concern about the impressionable reading the false stories,  people cannot judge what is real or what is literal. The imitation of reality is not bad in itself but without reason and understanding applied  the imitation is bad.

He felt that the poetry is like an inferior part of the soul that irrational and emotional cowardly part.If read the poetry at that time they entice into the undesirable emotions. 

poetry provide needless lamentation and imagery events of sorrow and happiness. it destroys the balance of courage and thought and it is weaker part of the Constitution of soul therefore it has no healthy function or a constitution whereas it cannot be called a good poetry. 

To him drama isn't easy form but it most dangerous of literature authors contain the imitating thing that anyone doesn't understand. There is no use of strong and meaningful words in dramas that make it unhealthy so, the use of words you should enough to condemned drama. 

Plato felt that words are Evil derived from source that faculty of understanding of poetry it make a confusion to understand the truth behind the words.

Another plato's objection on portraying the male dominance or female exploitation. people would be against that view, it should not the way in which the words work all have to try to keep literature from the children because of the children should grow with the good virtues and moral ideas.

poetry have a power to spoil the minds of children and it leads to their in a wrong way from the positiveness to negativity.   provoke the negativity in children's thoughts. Plato doesn't wants that literature corrupt the mind but he wants that display image of beauty and the grace of literature.

■ Plato's three perspective of objection to poetry :- 

Here, Plato uses the objection to poetry from a different point of view that represent  the poetry works and in which way ? as given below.

1. Educational point of view:-

In the book  of Plato's "The Republic" Book - 2, he condemned much poetry on the basis of constitution of  fostering evil habits and contain of vices in poetry that comes in to the children. Plato believes that don't teach the literature or poetry to the children.

When the protagonist or heroes of epics were part of the epics and they had no virtues and also immoral,  that's why character has vices as cunningness, cruelty, disloyalty and also uses the violence. Even gods were not as good as they have.

For example in Tory-Achilles, he beheading Apollo's statue and insulted God , sometimes God's fights among themselves and fights with one another, whereas in other myth Ahalya-Indra, Narad's obsession to marry and Kunti's children myth from Mahabharata, furthermore Hera's jealousy - frenzy to kill children also in Bible the curse of God to Eve and Adam. 

Plato believes that future guardians to regard that the quarreling among themselves as like all the things that are basest so, one soul uses the word of war in heaven and god and no one who should be against the rules. It is all not true but it's supposed to be an allegorical meaning or not.  

2.  philosophical points of view :- 

In "The Republic" Book - x poetry should not lead to us in better ways but it drives away from the realization of the ultimate reality and the truth. As discuss about  philosophy, he felt that philosophy is more better than the poetry only because of poetry not give real charm or truthfulness as philosophy.

It also twice removed the original ideas.  The maker or imitator never make true existence of image. He focused on appearances only.

3. Moral point of view:- 

In the same book of Plato's "The Republic" in finding that soul of man that derives and it has higher principles of reason. Lower importance of constitution of poetry is based on impulse and whatever they encourages and strengthens the principles of rationality,  but emotion is bad. Poetry should nourishes the baser of man - emotions and sentiments. 

Just only imitative poet has the aim to be a popular not be by a nature made so all art is intended by imitation it affected to rational principles poetry feeds and water instead of passion drying them up and controlled. They are preferred passionate and fitful temper.  

■ Aristotle's Reply to the Plato's objection to poetry 

Plato's objection on poetry that's why Aristotle replied to the charges of Plato on poetry and made arguments for the defence of art and literature. Art is not just imitation as Plato said but it different from truth.  Plato says likeness of things in concrete and less than time. We find in the Thinking of Plato and also before the judge to him we should understand the time. 

Aristotle argues that Plato failed to understand the art because it is more than that actual absent in. Therefore artists not reflected  the real manner of a mirror. Art is not the imitation of reality it something different. It provides far fetched images and different perspectives.

Literature is not reproduction of life as photography in all its   totality. But some actions, events and characters represent the artist's purpose. The artistic creation not creation in correct way.

Plato again said that art is bad and doesn't teach morality, does not give inspirational virtue and it based on falsehood. Function of poetry provides the aesthetic delight, emotions and representations of life.

R.A.Scott-James truly  elaborate that

      “But though he (Poet) creates something less than that reality, he also creates something more. He puts an idea into it. He put his perception into it. He gives us his intuition of certain distinctive and essential qualities.”