Busy dealing with final term papers.
This one is the only one that is written in English, this semester.
Ironically speaking, I can update that, but can not see the weblog that I had just written.
So this article is pasted by WORD 2007 on 2007-7-7.
A Brief Analysis to F. R. Scott and His Poem "Audacity"
In spite of the fact that Canada has a very short history line that lasts only longer than that of the United States, yet many poets and writers has been providing readers with a huge amount of novels, essays, and poems as well. Among them we readers can find many works very witty and well written. Therefore we would like to donate our warmest welcome to those outstanding novels and poems as they give us the beauty of art, the sense of passion and the mark of history, be it is referring to past or pointing to the future.
Of these wonderful works that are worthy for readers reconsidering and digesting, one masterpiece is the poem "Audacity" by Mr. Francis Reginald Scott. The poem has fairly ironic tones of current Canadian politic and social life. Even on comparing with those politic writers in the United States. This article aims to give readers a brief analysis to F.R.Scott, the history background for him writing this poem, and meanings the poem has.
- Bibliography of the Poet
- Life of F. R. Scott
Mr. Francis Reginald Scott, according to the most popular encyclopedia --Wikipedia online--- was commonly known as Frank Scott or F.R. Scott, and was born on August 1, 1899. He was the kid of Frederick George Scott. As the encyclopedia pointed out, he was defined as a Canadian poet, intellectual and constitutional expert. Born and raised in the Rectory of St. Matthew's Church, Quebec City, Scott witnessed the riots in the city during the Conscription Crisis of 1917. Completing his undergraduate studies at Bishop's University(or say, it would only be a college at that time), in Lennoxville, Quebec, Scott went to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and was influenced by the Christian Socialist ideas of R.H. Tawney and the Student Christian Movement. From these two institutes, he held a Rhodes scholarship, receiving a B.A. (1922) and a B.Litt. (1923) for a thesis on 'The annexation of Savoy and Nice by Napoleon III, 1860'.He was married to Marian Dale Scott, an important modern painter in Canada. Shortly after that, he returned to Canada, settled in Montreal and studied law at McGill University eventually joining the law faculty as a professor.(Today on Augural address of McGill university, president incumbent would always mention his name). In 1927 he was called to the bar and in 1928 returned to McGill to teach;
The Great Depression that started from United States greatly disturbed Scott and other intellectuals who formed the League for Social Reconstruction (LSR) to advocate socialist solutions in a Canadian context. Through the LSR, Scott became an influential figure in the Canadian socialist movement and a founding member of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and a contributor to the Regina Manifesto. He went on to serve as national chairman of the CCF from 1942 until 1950.
During the 1950s, Scott was an active opponent of the Duplessis regime in Quebec and went to court to fight the Padlock Law. He also represented one of Jehovah's Witnesses, one Frank Roncarrelli, in Roncarelli v. Duplessis all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada a battle that Maurice Duplessis lost. And this period Scott wrote the poem "Audacity", which will be covered in the following paragraphs.
Scott is the subject of a number of critical works, as well as a major biography, The Politics of the Imagination: A Life of F. R. Scott by Sandra Djwa. As for my personal knowledge, Scott had very aggressive political trends. During February 1931, he wrote to newspaper Montreal Times about Communist Youth League (See "Audacity, Audacity, and More Audacity"), with the signature of "Assistant Professor" that even McGill College forced him not to sign his position while writing.
- Reputation the Poet Had Received
Scott--who has contributed equally to Canadian law, literature, and politics in both official languages(of Canada)--was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1947, he was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Lorne Pierce Medal in 1962, and received a Molson Prize for outstanding achievements in the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences in 1967.He won both the 1977 Governor General's Award for non-fiction for his Essays on the Constitution and the 1981 Governor General's Award for poetry for his Collected Poems.
In 1952 he was technical-aid representative for the United Nations in Burma and from 1963 to 1971 a member of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. Scott served as dean of law at McGill University from 1961 to 1964. In 1970 he was offered a seat in the Canadian Senate by Pierre Trudeau but declined the appointment. Eventually Scott died on January 30, 1985. Days after his passing, he was interred in Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.
Of highlights given by University of Toronto, Scott is one of the most important catalysts of modern Canadian poetry, partly because of the influence of his own poetry and partly through his personality and his association with several literary groups and 'little magazines'. It considers that:
As a satirist in the late twenties and early thirties, he helped battle an outworn Canadian Romanticism in order to introduce the 'new poetry'; and in landscape poems such as 'Old song', 'Lakeshore', and 'Laurentian Shield' he established a northern evolutionary view of Canadian nature that later influenced such poets as Al Purdy and Margaret Atwood. While achieving distinction as a poet, political activist, and leading authority on constitutional law, Scott also became a figure of extraordinary importance as a commentator on both Canadian society and Canadian literature. All these activities found expression in his poetry, and all stemmed from the nationalistic concerns of Canadian intellectuals in the twenties.
- Analysis of the Poem "Audacity"
- History Background for the Poem
The poem "Audacity" was written as a reaction of an article written on November 30th,1958( the textbook said it was in the year 1959 but according to online materials on www.canadawiki.org, the former date was seemingly incorrect), with a title naming "Is Adventure in Abeyance?--Audacity Missing". This article was written by a famous Canadian journalist and writer, Robert Fulford, and was published on the magazine Times, in London edition. Unfortunately speaking, currently UK edition of Times magazines are not available, so the only background for the reason to the birth of the poem could be merely traced to the quotations given on the textbook.
From the background given in the textbook by Professor Yang Junfeng, this poem was written on response of the article mentioned in the previous passage, but the poet Scott had twisted keywords of that article, describing another scenery which the author of the article might never had thought of that before. The original article was quoted as follows:
As several distinguished visitors had told us, Canada is a middle--class country, perhaps more emphatically middle—class than any other country west of Switzerland. Few Canadians are conscious of working –class status, and almost none would recognize themselves as members of an elite. Thus the adventurous spirit that might arise elsewhere from the desperation of the lower classes or the or the tradition of the upper classes does not appear in Canadian life. This is one reason why audacity is missing in Canada.This article made a lot of critics feeling uncomfortable for this article made sharp comment on Canadians' social status too mild and not enough enthusiasm both home and abroad, as those Canadians are considered not willing dealing with international affairs, and less passionate than English, American or people from other English-speaking countries and commonwealths. Therefore this article had made a huge explosion among Canadian society and people. It is said that several critics consider this article a great maltreat on Canadian people.
Notably speaking, this poem was written in 1964 (www.canawiki.org), years after the publication of the former article.
- Of the Poem
The whole poem read as follows
Audacity
("Audacity is missing in Canada." The Times 30/11/59)
They say we lack audacity, that we are middle class, without
the adventurousness that arises from the desperation of the
lower classes or the tradition of the upper classes.
They say we are more emphatically middling than any country
west of Switzerland, and that boldness and experiment are
far from our complacent thoughts.
For audacity is all around us,
Boldness sits in the highest places,
We are riddled with insolence.
Do you want audacity?
Let me tell you—
Any day in Montreal you may hear the guns crack at the noon-
hour, as the police give chase to the bank-robbers
Who are helping themselves to the wealth of the land like the
French and the English before them, coureur de bois and
fur-trader rolled into one;
You may watch the patrol cars circle their beats to gather the
Weekly pay-off from unlicensed cafes
Whose owners sell booze on the side to acquire the $ 15,000
they need for the $ 25-permit;
You may learn the name of the distinguished Legislative Coun-
cillor who controls the caisse-electolale
Into which rattles the coin that makes possible the letting of
Contracts,
And who tips his hat to the priest
And is saluted respectfully in return;
You may marvel at the boldness of promoters of oil and natural
gas, men too quick for production, fixers and peddlers,
Getting their hands on concessions and rights, access to under-
ground treasures awaiting man's use in the womb of our northland,
Playing the suckers and markets, turning their thousands to
millions, loading the pipe-lines with overhead that is paid by
the housewife who cooks her spaghetti,
Then solemnly demanding higher rates for sales of the product
(extra hot, natural gas!)before friends on the Board of
Control:
You may follow the hucksters and admen compiling their bud-
Gets, planning the assault on "public opinion," settling the
poll-questions,
Writing editorials for weeklies, letters to editors, telegrams to
senators, articles for journals,
Day after day on the job of confusing the issue, baiting the
eggheads, laughing at the "culture kids" of CBC,fixing the
give-aways,
Posing as democracy's friends and admirers ,while undermin-
ing the concept of government and welfare,
Singing the praises of free enterprise that relies on high tariffs,
defence contracts and floor prices;
You may stand in awe at the audacity of journalists, twisting
the news items by headline and rewrite, blanking out truth,
Ponderously laying down the conventional wisdom in uncon-
ventional English,
While a few owners gather dailies into chains run by gangs of
paid hack-men,
Then add on the radio stations and TV outlets, lets some glim-
mer of free opinion escape them;
You may be amazed at the boldness of churchmen and minis-
ters, meeting in synod and conclave and conference to spy
out our sinfulness,
Who wax indignant over lotteries, horse-racing and the drink
question, or, with Savonarola intensity,
Denounce crime-comics an short bathing-suits;
But all this is as nothing, not worthy of mention,
Beside the supreme, the breath-taking audacity
Of the great executives in their paneled boardrooms
Found at every point in the social structure where policy is laid
down or decision taken,
Without whom no hospital can be opened, no charitable cam-
paign launched, no church can engage a preacher and not u-
niversity can build a building,
Daring to be omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, not to
mention omnivorous,
These surely you can see in this Canada of ours,O London
Times,
In this country that has the audacity to proclaim the "suprema-
cy of god"
In its Bill of Rights?
- Analysis to the Poem
This poem is quite irony and full of bitter description of the contemporary Canada social life. "Audacity" in the original article means braveness, the spirit of justice, etc. However, in this poem, meaning of this word had been given a twist, and the word "audacity" could be understood as outlaw, or to be adventurous.
The first paragraph just introduced the original texts and leads to question for readers that what kind of "Audacity" Canada has, with a nice turning point "but".
From the second paragraph, many passage starts with a calling word "You", which may be referring to the correspondent of the article, Robert Fulford, and for those readers—be the readers of the poem or the readers of that London Times.
Sentence 9 and 10 marks a bank robbery occurred at noon which is considered to be in the open air, but police would just be pretending to the robbers, which will disappoint citizens greatly. The police "give chase", so they are only seemingly chase, without efforts. A conclusion could be made that police and robbers are somehow of in the same pants.
Sentence 11 and 12 marks how tax-collectors get in benefits with the cost of the nation loses tax. Alcohol could be sold in illegal shops, and $ 15000 tax fee to the nation are taken place by $ 25 tips to those who "patrols" cars.
Sentence 17,18,19 and 20 marks the spot of those company monopolies national resources and earn profits from average people. Examples given are the development of natural gas in the north land of Canada. On given money to the official, those tycoons could make thousands into millions, with the loss of people who could cook spaghetti only.
Sentence 21 to 29 covers the problem of freedom speech. Under this flag, guilty are being executed. Poll-questions can be set, readers' letter could be faked, truth could be blank out, so free opinions would only be away.
Sentence 30,31 and 32 refers to the grand control from religion. Usually people would seek help from those churchmen, but they would turned out to be very disappointed as the people they expected would expose their sinfulness, and privacy are no longer safe.
Sentence 33 to the last is the climax of the poem. It employs the four "Omni-"word marks the supremacy of God. However, as God never shines his name in Canada, everything evil could seek hide place with the Bill of Rights, protecting no good citizens.
Irony as it be, as writer has pointed so many problems by far, a better move would be to solve all this problems, as Canada is after all not unique, it is not the only country that has all these problems.
- Conclusion
Critics consider this poem too sharp to describe that seldom comments are related to the poem. One comment is said to be "Poems like General Election and Audacity seem to me to discharge the tension between soloist and urbanized, politic man far too inexpensively in favor of the former." This critical essay is written by Ian Sowton. Besides that no more comments on this poem is available. As for writer himself, the best description could be:
His poetic subject is most often man (in the generic sense) silhouetted against a natural horizon. His characteristic metaphors develop from the exploration of man's relationship to nature and society: they involve time and infinity, world and universe, love and spirit--terms that emerge as 20th-century humanist substitutes for the Christian vocabulary.(
Encyclopedia of World Biography on Francis Reginald Scott)
When author of the essay was listening to the course given by Mr. Jeff Yang, a vivid quotation form Chinese got awakened. Bai Juyi, one of the greatest poets in ancient China, provides an idea that poems should be written with the aim of politic guidance, so poems shall be of irony on social aspects. From the poem "Audacity" the author firmly believes the rule Bai Juyi commented as a massive trend for poem development, from ancient to present, from the far orient to Canada, be there Pacific Ocean blocks the two lands apart.
Works Cited
English version of Wikipedia: Biography of F.R.Scott
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._R._Scott>
Library Information on University of Toronto: Scott,F.R.
<http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/scott_fr/index.htm>
<http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/scott_fr/pub.htm>
<http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/scott_fr/crit.htm>
<http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/scott_fr/bio.htm>
<http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/scott_fr/write.htm>
<http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/HUM/ENGL/canada/poet/f_scott.htm>
Encyclopedia of Britannica: Scott,F.R.
<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9066357/Francis-Reginald-Scott>
(On the publication date of the poem)
<http://canadawiki.org/index.php/Quotations_S 1964>
<http://canadawiki.org/index.php/Quotations_F>
Ian Sowton. Encyclopedia of World Biography on Francis Reginald Scott
<http://www.bookrags.com/biography/francis-reginald-scott/>
<http://www.bookrags.com/criticism/scott-francis-reginald-1899_2/>
