Background of “Mask of Anarchy”:
The political poem “Mask of Anarchy” was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, following the
Peterloo Massacre in 1819 when pro-democracy and anti-poverty protesters in Manchester were
brutally dispersed by armed cavalry. This is a powerful call for freedom, political representation
and nonviolent resistance against oppression. These are its final verses.
Background of “Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain”:
Iqbal's works were in Persian for most of his career, but after 1930 his works were mainly in Urdu.
His works in this period were often specifically directed at the Muslim masses of India, with an
even stronger emphasis on Islam and Muslim spiritual and political reawakening. It consists
of ghazals, poems, quatrains and epigrams and carries a strong sense of religious passion.
Muhammad Iqbal argues that modern problems are due to the godlessness, materialism and
injustice of modern civilization, which feeds on the subjugation and exploitation of weak nations,
especially the Indian Muslims. Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain popularly known as “Beyond the
stars there are” is an ode taken from Bal-i-Jibril which was published in 1935. Bal-i-Jibril is the
peak of Iqbal's Urdu poetry. It consists of ghazals and poems that displays the vision and intellect
necessary to foster sincerity and firm belief in the heart of the ummah and turn its members into
true believers.
Q. “Romanticism emphasized on inspiration and freedom of thought”.
Justify the statement with reference to poems of Shelley and Iqbal given above.
(your response should not be more than 400 words).
Answers
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1890. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific rationalization of nature—all components of modernity. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education, chess, social sciences, and the natural sciences.