Three classes by Arnold.

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Name:- Hitaxi H Bhatt.

Roll No:- 03.

Email Id:- hitaxidave81@gmail.com

Paper No:- 06 ( The Victorian Age).

Topic:- Three classes by Arnold.

Submitted to:- Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)

Matthew Arnold, a literary figure of the Victorian Age, comes next to Browning and Tennyson. He is a poet, critic, religious thinker and educationist. He has the experience of twenty- four years as the inspector of schools. It provided him so much time to meet the different classes and examine their behaviour and habits. This experience pursued him to write ‘Culture & Anarchy’. He has also discussed various topics about true culture.

 First let’s see what is culture?

 A culture is a way of life of a group of people. The term ‘Culture’ which originally meant the Cultivation of human mind and soul. Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.

Culture is the process, means it is always going on. And also it is not static but it is changeable. It is study of social and moral perfection. And Arnold says that culture is internal thing. As power of God remains within, similarly culture also remains within.culture began its complicate modern history etc. Culture was a new social and intellectual movement.

cultivation -cultivated-civilization.

According to him  culture is a way of life of a group of people. Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. Matthew Arnold is really a great fighter for prevailing real culture in the society of London. He finds the kingdom of materialism that trying to strangle real culture. So,in this chapter, Arnold divides the society of England into three classes- The Aristoctratic Class, The Philistines, The Populace. He finds Anarchy very common in these class  of his time as The Barbarians, The Philistines as The Middle class and The Populace as The Working class. His scrutiny of three classes of his time proves him a good experienced critic.

Let’s discuss one by one..

Image of three class

   

1)   The Aristocratics:-

For Aristocratic class he views that this class lacks adequate courage for resistance. He cthe class The Barbarians. Because they believe in their personal individualism, liberty and doing as one likes. But sometimes it may happens that ‘Doing as one likes may bring chaos and anarchy in society’. They are champions of liberty and often anarchical in their tendencies yet they have their own individualism, field, sports, and manly exercises are a fashion with them. Their manly exercise their strength and their good looks are definitely found in the Aristocratic Class of his time. Their Politeness resembles the chivalry Barbarians, and their external styles in manners, accomplishments and powers are inherited from the Barbarians. Even the culture of the aristocrats is skin-deep, external, lacking in inward virtues.

2)   The Philistines:-

The Philistines are the middle class, according to Arnold. By Philistine, in its original German sense is meant the uncultured people like most of the shopkeepers. The Philistines are worldly-wise men, captains of industry busy in trade and commerce. As a nation of shopkeepers, Philistines are worldly-wise men, captains of industry busy in trade and commerce. As a nation of shopkeepers, Philistines have brought all economic prosperity and progress in the country. They have built cities, they have made railroads, and lastly they have produced the greatest mercantile navy the world has ever seen. Thus, they are the empire builders in long as the working class would join forces with them, they would bring to the land all material prosperity.

3)   The Populace:-

The Populace are The Working class who help the empire builders in Arnold’s parlance. Poverty have dogged the footsteps of the Populace whenever they are engaged in running the wheels of industry. They are raw and half-developed. They are being exploited by the Philistines and the Barbarians so long. Now there is a stir and an awakening among the Populace. Democratic awakening has dawned upon their poverty. The people of this class are becoming politically conscious and are coming out from the obscurities to assert

“An Englishman’s heaven-born Privilege of doing as he likes, meeting where he likes, bawling what he likes, braking what he likes.”

The idea of personal freedom is brought up by Englishman. And with it they have the concept of anarchy inherently.  “Everyman for himself in business and everyman for himself in religion.”

 From that above the basis of human culture  must be founded – a sweetness and a light. Arnold considers that, Culture is also connected with the idea of Sweetness and Light The Greek word ‘aphuia’ means well grown or graceful. He connects the idea of culture with sweetness and light. He explains the idea with the help of Greek words ‘aphuia’ and ‘euphuia’. Here the man ‘euphyes’ is going towards ‘sweetness and light.’ Arnold also says that all these three classes are honest, they have got the ‘sweetness’ essential for ‘culture’ but what they lack in different proportions is ‘ light’. Despite of such class system, Arnold finds a common basis of nature in all. So, the spirit of sweetness and light can be founded. Arnold himself belongs to the Philistines, He is rising above his own surroundings of birth and social status in his pursuit of perfection, of sweetness and of light and culture. 

He further says that all three classes find happiness in what they like. They all keep different activities by their social status.  However, there are a few souls in these classes who hope for culture with a desire to know about their best or to see things as they are. They have desire to pursue reason and to make the will of god to prevail. For the pursuit of perfection, it does not lie only on the genius or the talented persons, but also on all classes. Actually, the love or the pursuit of perfection is within the approach of the common people. He calls the man of culture as the true nurse of pursuing love and sweetness and light. He finds such persons in all three classes who have a general human spirit for the pursuit of perfection.  He says that the right source of authority is best self or the right reason to be achieved culture.

He further says that the idea of high best self is very hard for the pursuit of perfection in literature, religion and even in politics.  The political system prevalent in his time was the Barbarians.  The politicians sing the praise of the Populace for carrying their favours. Indeed, they play with their feelings. All these praises are mere clap- trap and trick to gain applause. The ordinary self enforces the readers to misguide the nation. It is more admirable, but its benefits are entertained by the representatives and the ruling men.

 " Never go agianst the best light you have,

Take care your light not  darkness"

The mission of Arnold’s culture  is that each individual must act for himself and must be perfect himself. The chosen people or classes must dedicate themselves to the pursuit of perfection. In case of the pursuit of perfection. The culture will make them perfect on their own foundation. So it is essential that man must try to seek human perfection by instituting  his best self or real reason. From every walk of life some chosen people must dedicate themselves to the pursuit of perfection. The doors of perfection and culture are wide open to any really dedicated soul from any of three great divisions which Arnold finds proper to sort any of three great divisions which Arnold finds proper to sort out the people of England. But then it is essential that man must strive to seek human perfection to establish his best self and culture would in the end, find its public recognition.

 conclusion:-

At last we find that we have got three distinct terms, Barbarians, Philistines, Populace, to denote roughly the three great classes into which our society is divided ( The Aristocrats, The middle class, and The working class,  respectively….) All of us, so far as we are Barbarians, Philistines or Populace. What one’s ordinary self likes differs according to the class to which one belongs, and has its severer and its lighter side. Now  Barbarian likes honours and consideration; his more relaxed self, field-sports and pleasure. Philistines like money-making and comforts and tea-meetings. The Populace like bombing, hustling and smashing and beer. But in each class there are born certain number natures with curiosity about their best self.


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