Thinking Activity Task

Deconstructive reading of the Sonnet 18 - "Shall I Compare thee to a Summer's day?" by William Shakespeare 

☆ Definition of Deconstruction :-

A philosophical movement and theory of literary Criticism that questions traditional assumption about certainty, identity and truth; asserts that words can only refer to other words; and attempts to demonstrate how statement about any text subvert their own meaning. 

                           - YourDictionary 

☆ Derrida's theory of Deconstruction :-

Derrida's Deconstruction is a postmodern philosophy, it is time to examine the Deconstruction of Derrida.  At every point of time Philosophers till modernists, as a first step have read and critically analyzed their forerunners and only then have constructed their own doctrines and conceptions.  Another subtle aspect is, though each school denied the other,  they all believed in the existence of a universal truth. But in the postmodern era, reality follows diverse models that are mutually exclusives and are rich in conflicts. Postmodernism mostly desire pluralism and fragmentation. Unity or totality is sheltered along with determinism and continuity and the significance of relativism is explicated. 

According to Derrida the Deconstructive philosophy is an " event." Deconstruction of Derrida is not a reconstruction or a redefinition or replacement of the past. If Philosophers like Nietzsche, Freud and Heidegger have instigated Derrida to think outside the box. Derrida is much sensitive to the problem of centre and marginal, as he explains, 

" The function of this centre was not only to orient, balance and organise the structure... but above all to make sure that the organizing principle of the structure would limit what we might call the play of the structure. "

Though the method of Deconstruction Derrida performs a tactic of decentering, a way of reading the text which first gives the awareness of the centrality of the central term. Then he moves further and also unearths the paradox, contradiction that lie within the same language. Then commences the attempt to subvert the central term and replace it with the term that was marginalized so far. Thus, the marginalized term becomes the centre and the hierarchy is temporarily overthrown. 

☆ Undecidability :-

Undecidability is a very special idea of Derrida which he took in his hands to trouble dualism or to reveal how they are always already troubled. Similar to the non - concept like pharmakon, hymen difference that speak off cure/ poison,  inside/outside, differ/defer at one time, Undecidability is something that cannot conform to either polarity of a dichotomy. 

☆ Deconstruction of the Sonnet 18 by Shakespeare  :-

"Shall I Compare thee to a Summer's day ?"

Before the understanding of Deconstruction reading of the Sonnet 18 first here I would like to put the video made by Dr. Dilip Barad sir about the Deconstruction reading of the Sonnet 18

The very famous concept of " Deconstruction " is given by Jacques Derrida and said that the language bears within itself the necessity of its own meaning.  Derridian idea about Deconstruction revolves around Free Play /Undecidability  of meanings. Very famously it revolves around Binaries, opposition, Hegemony and Subjectivity.  We will see these all things in the Sonnet by William Shakespeare, " Shall I Compare thee to a Summer's day?" that how does these all things operate? The main problem becomes when its comes to apply this idea in the work of literature. It's become equally difficult. Many time people failed to read literature Deconstructively. In the very first stanza of poem thee is Beloved  because the poem is addressed to the beloved. Now let us see how the binaries create. 

When we trying to generalize Beloved what we find is that beloved represents Human being and Summer's day represents Nature. When we trying to see the concept of The language bears within itself the necessity of its own meaning what we see in the very first line of the poem we can find that the poem is decentering the nature. Mostly people finds that it is nature poem but in reality it is not a nature poem. Nature is the underprivilege side of the poem. At that time human being are at the centre and Nature becomes at the periphery that is one part of the reading poem. When we read further this poem what we find is that Lines/writing/Poem or Sonnet are at the centre. We can say that the poem celebrating self when beloved achieve immortality or beauty. But still there are possibility of making critique of this poem. When the Lines/writing/poem becomes at the centre at the same time Beloved ( human being) and Summer's day ( Nature) comes at the periphery. They both are at the same side now. If we are trying to see further in the poem what we find out is that when "I"(lover, poet)  comes at the centre at that time lines/writing/poems all becomes at the periphery. In short the poem dramatizes the Power Struggle. It is Implied Threats. Ultimately what we can say that 

♧ Is Beloved or Summer's day or nature at the centre  ?

♧ Is Lines/writing/poem  at the centre ?

♧ Is Poet or lover himself at the centre  ?

In short we can say that it is Undecidable. These are all what we can say Deconstruction the theory by Jacques Derrida that how we can apply this in the work of literature. 

● Ted.Ed learning experience  :-

If I am talking about TED.ED learning experience then it was amazing.  The most wonderful thing that I liked so much is that the multiple choice online test. The learner can give online test below the video. The chances of facing other difficulties are rare. Students or learners can watch videos easily and give the test. Really it was a wonderful experience for me.

● Work Citation 

♧Lawlor, L. (2019, July 30). Jacques Derrida. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/derrida/

♧Marchand, M. (n.d.). Deconstruction and différance. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from http://www.signosemio.com/derrida/deconstruction-and-differance.asp

♧Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer's... Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45087/sonnet-18-shall-i-compare-thee-to-a-summers-day