How to Deconstruct Text ?
Hello everyone...
This blog is based on how to Deconstruct the text ! This blog is assigned by Dilip sir Barad as a part of thinking activity. In which I'm going to share my thoughts about how to Deconstruct the text through some examples.
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| How to Deconstruct Text ? |
Deconstruction, a term created by Jacques Derrida, is about examining texts to find hidden contradictions and unclear meanings. It challenges the idea that meanings are fixed and stable, suggesting instead that meanings are always changing and influenced by context. By revealing these complexities, deconstruction aims to question and break down established ideas and assumptions in language and texts. In the 1970s the term was applied to work by Derrida, Paul de Man, J. Hillis Miller, and Barbara Johnson, among other scholars. In the 1980s it designated more loosely a range of radical theoretical enterprises in diverse areas of the humanities and social sciences, including—in addition to philosophy and literature—law, psychoanalysis, architecture, anthropology, theology, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, political theory, historiography, and film theory. In polemical discussions about intellectual trends of the late 20th-century, deconstruction was sometimes used pejoratively to suggest nihilism and frivolous skepticism. In popular usage the term has come to mean a critical dismantling of tradition and traditional modes of thought.
Before discussing our main opic let's have a look on writer Derrida.
Jacques Derrida :-
Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a French philosopher known for his influential and controversial critiques of Western philosophy and his analyses of language, writing, and meaning. Born to Sephardic Jewish parents in Algeria, he was educated in France and taught at prominent institutions like the Sorbonne and Yale University. Derrida is best known for developing deconstruction, a method for critically examining and revealing the inherent contradictions in binary oppositions (e.g., speech/writing, mind/body) within texts. He argued that these oppositions are constructed rather than natural, and his work aimed to demonstrate that neither term in the opposition is fundamentally primary.
Let's have a some examples of deconstruction on the poems .....
1) Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare:-
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| Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare |
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee"
Sonnet 18 starts by comparing the beloved to a summer's day, asserting that the beloved is superior. Unlike summer, which suffers from strong winds, extreme heat, and fading beauty, the beloved’s beauty is eternal, immortalized through the poem's praise.
The poem uses words like "temperate," "rough wind," "decline," "nature's changing course," and "fade" to emphasize the transient nature of beauty. Although the beloved's beauty is also subject to this natural decay, it is preserved within the poem. The poem suggests that the beloved’s beauty is immortal only because it is captured in writing. As long as people read the poem, the beloved’s beauty endures.
At first, the poem seems to completely contrast the beloved with summer. However, both are ultimately temporary compared to the poem itself. Everything that lives eventually dies, including the beloved, but the poem and its message of love are eternal. This implies that while summer and love are both ephemeral, the poem might also hint that love, like summer, has its imperfections. The "rough winds" that damage flowers could symbolize the passionate and chaotic aspects of love.
Moreover, the poet assumes a central and authoritative role in the poem. It implies that the beloved's beauty achieves immortality only through the poet’s writing. The poem evaluates beauty by certain standards and bestows praise accordingly.
2) In a station of the metro by Ezra pound
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| Deconstructive meaning of the poem |
This short poem may initially appear confusing due to its lack of straightforward imagery. The individual images might not make sense on their own, but they contribute to a cohesive overall impression. For an Indian reader, particularly one from a non-metro area, the absence of familiar metro station imagery can be perplexing. In the poem, the words are structured to first mention the "crowd" and then "petals." The comparison of "faces in the crowd" to "petals on a wet, black bough" exemplifies modernist visualization techniques similar to those used by T.S. Eliot in The Waste Land and W.H. Auden in September 1, 1939.
The poem also sets up a binary opposition between urban and rural life. As Ferdinand de Saussure discusses the metaphysics of presence, interpreting the absence is challenging. The poem does not mention "noise," contrasting with the isolation of the lines, akin to petals on a black bough. The word "apparition" creates a ghostly atmosphere and conveys a sense of modern life.
The comparison between faces and petals departs from traditional metaphors. Just as the crowd at the station is fleeting, petals and flowers have a short-lived existence. This underscores the fragile and fragmented nature of the modern world.
3) The Red wheelbarrow by William Carole Williams
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| The Red wheelbarrow by William Carole Williams |
This poem vividly captures a clear image without any interruptions, emphasizing the tangible nature of objects. It references a wheelbarrow and chickens, both familiar items. The colors red and white help create a distinct atmosphere. The red color might symbolize something robust, practical, and attention-grabbing, while the white chickens could signify tranquility or simplicity. This contrast enhances the visibility of both elements.
However, the poem's depiction of a shiny and clean environment may reflect the poet's idealized vision, possibly influenced by a book. The absence of mud, dust, and dung separates the image from reality, rendering it more idealized. The central interpretation could be a celebration of everyday life and an appreciation of one's surroundings.
Ultimately, the poem underscores the complexity of meanings, the significance of binary oppositions, and the fluidity of interpretation. When one interpretation is prioritized, others are relegated to the margins, providing alternative ways to read the poem.
Conclusion:
Deconstructing texts, as illuminated by the works of Jacques Derrida, reveals the intricate complexities and shifting meanings within literature. Derrida's philosophy exposes the constructed nature of binary oppositions, demonstrating that meanings are not fixed but fluid and context-dependent. This approach can be applied to various texts, such as Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18," which juxtaposes the eternal beauty of the beloved with the fleeting nature of summer, ultimately questioning the stability of its own assertions of permanence. Similarly, Ezra Pound's "In a Station of the Metro" contrasts urban and natural imagery to highlight the ephemeral and fragmented nature of modern life. William Carlos Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow" celebrates the simplicity of everyday objects while idealizing their surroundings, emphasizing the beauty in the mundane. Through deconstruction, these texts reveal deeper layers of meaning, challenging traditional interpretations and encouraging readers to appreciate the inherent contradictions and ambiguities that define literary works. This method underscores the fluidity of meaning and the importance of context, reshaping our understanding of language and literature.
References :
Barad, Dilip. “Deconstructive Analysis of Ezra Pound's 'In a Station of the Metro' and William Carlos Williams's 'The Red Wheelbarrow.'” Research Gate, 03 July 2024, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381943844_Deconstructive_Analysis_of_Ezra_Pound's_'In_a_Station_of_the_Metro'_and_William_Carlos_Williams's_'The_Red_Wheelbarrow'. Accessed 03 July 2024.
Barad, D. (2023, July 23). How to Deconstruct a Text. Bhavngar, Gujarat, India: DoEMKBU YouTube Channel. Retrieved 7 3, 2024, from https://youtu.be/JDWDIEpgMGI?si=WnmtixfH9lFYj-bJ
Barad, D. (2023, July 12). Deconstuctive reading of sonnet 18. Bhavngar, Gujarat, India: DoEMKBU YouTube Channel. Retrieved 7 3, 2024, from
Belsey, C. (2002). Poststructuralism (First Indian Edition 2006 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
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