Class 11 English Unit 11 Arts and Creations

Yes, to a certain pragmatic extent, I agree with Niccolò Machiavelli’s view that a good leader can do bad and dishonest things in order to preserve his power and protect his government. Machiavelli was a brilliant Renaissance politician and writer. In his famous book The Prince, Machiavelli reveals the harsh realities of how a good leader must sometimes turn into an immoral figure. He says that in order to maintain absolute power and protect the nation or territory from chaos, a leader must make ruthless decisions.

It’s the primary duty of a leader to protect his government and his people from external threats and internal rebellion. So, he can go beyond conventional moral rules and perform dishonest things to preserve his necessary power for the greater good. But the leaders whose sole goal is the selfish pursuit of power, unlimited wealth, or fame often appear tyrannically self-centered. This desire is so strong that such leaders violate the moral standards that once governed their conduct. Many leaders reach the top by imposing their iron will on others, or even destroying those who stand in their way. When they reach the top, they may constantly suspect that others are trying to knock them off their base and hence perform out-of-the-rules things to protect their leadership. While ethically questionable, Machiavelli argues it is politically necessary for state survival.

Yes, art and literature are undeniably the foundational assets of a country. They place an emphasis on many universal topics, from human tragedies to tales of the ever-popular search for love and justice. While literature is physically written in words, these words come alive in the imagination of the mind, and its ability to comprehend the complexity or simplicity of human existence binds a culture together.

Art and literature serve the people and help them in their struggle for a better life by arousing the people’s emotions against oppression and injustice, and increasing their sensitivity regarding the people’s sufferings. Our country is facing tremendous challenges such as abolishing poverty, unemployment, inflation, ignorance, casteism, communalism, and other social evils. Hence, artists and writers must join the ranks of those who are struggling for a better Nepal; they must inspire the people through their profound writings and write bravely against oppression and injustice. Thus, we can say that art and literature are crucial, immortal assets of a country.

Literature is the Reflection of Society

Since the dawn of man, the art of storytelling has been utilized to pass on critically deemed information about society, life, and the universe. During the early days, much of our history was transposed orally through song, folklore, and spoken word. Literature, like many art forms, is a form of deep expressionism. It is the process of taking a subjective thought and converting it into a tangible, written object that can be interpreted by others across generations.

Many authors have represented social, political, ecological, historical, and scientific phenomena in their works. All our glorious past has been secured in the literary pages so that today’s generation can gain knowledge about the myth of The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, The Iliad, and The Bible. It is only possible through these literary sources that the present generation knows who our forefathers were and how human civilizations came into existence.

Thus, society creates literature because all traditions, customs, and religious stories reflect through these literary works. However, the excellence and natural surroundings of the reflection hinge heavily on a writer’s approach and state of mind, whether he is enlightened and progressive in his outlook or conservative. That is exactly why literature is considered the mirror of society; it is stuffed with all human emotions and activities, capturing the good and the bad, as well as the ongoing social and political happenings of its era.

Yes, I completely agree with the statement that today’s reader is tomorrow’s leader. Undoubtedly, reading is absolutely essential for the all-round development of a person’s personality and intellect. Reading is an essential, basic skill-building activity. One’s language fluency, critical thinking, and worldly awareness are determined by the quality and quantity of their reading. Besides, vocabulary enrichment, idea collection, familiarization with different types of writing formats, and speaking fluency all depend heavily upon reading.

It is true that a person who has a strong reading habit never feels lonely and bored. The books open up a magical, expansive world for him or her, and they live among the great minds of history in the pages of the books. Books never let the readers go astray. They make them wise, empathetic, and highly pragmatic in solving real-world problems. We must constantly endeavour to develop this fabulous habit of reading.

Thus, one thing is absolutely clear: if we want to become great, visionary leaders in the future who can guide society, we must be great, dedicated readers in the present.

Bhanubhakta Acharya: The Adikabi

The first Nepali poet who heroically translated the great epic ‘Ramayana’ from Sanskrit into the common Nepali language, Bhanubhakta Acharya, was born on 29 Ashar, 1814, in the Tanahu district of Nepal. Acharya was born into a privileged Brahmin family and received an excellent education with a strong leaning towards religion from his grandfather at home. He is highly honored with the prestigious title Adikabi (First Poet) for the monumental contributions he has made in the field of poetry and Nepali literature. Every year, his birthday is grandly celebrated as the literary festival of Bhanu Jayanti (13 July) by conducting various programs, usually academics and poem recitation.

He wrote two absolute masterpieces in his life, among which one is the translated Bhanubhaktey Ramayan, and the other is a famous petition letter he wrote in verse form to the Prime Minister while he was languishing in prison. He was made a scapegoat and sent to prison due to some bureaucratic misunderstanding in signing official papers. His poetic letter from prison became one of his great works. He not only won his freedom with his brilliant poem but was also rewarded with a bag of money by the ruler. When he died in 1868, he did not know he would one day be hailed as one of the most revered poets of Nepal. His creation, however, was not formally published during his lifetime, and he died without receiving full credit for his contribution. His legendary works were finally compiled and published by Motiram Bhatta in 1887. Although he is now one of the most celebrated and revered cultural figures of Nepal, his struggles laid the foundation for the modern Nepali language.

(Note: Defining relative clauses give essential information and do not use commas. Non-defining relative clauses give extra information and use commas.)