Brotherhood: Homage to Claudius Ptolemy
Octavia Paz Summary Explanation Questions Answers
The Poem 'Brotherhood Homage To Claudius Ptolemy' is written by Octavia Paz. Here in this article I'll give a summary, analysis and discuss the questions answers from the text 'Brotherhood:Homage to Claudius Ptolemy '. The detailed line by line analysis of the poem 'Brotherhood ' is given below.
About the poet Octavia Paz:
Octavia Paz is a Latin American writer. He was inspired by the famous Chilean Poet, Neruda. Octavia Paz's poetry is composed of such words, meaning of which are ambiguous that is not clear. His poems are complex and full of imagery.
Introduction to the poem 'Brotherhood:Homage to Claudius Ptolemy'
English Translation for the original poem 'Brotherhood ':
The poem Hermandad('Brotherhood' in English) was originally written in Spanish in 1987. It was translated into English by Eliot Weinberger, a popular American essayist,critic and translator.
Rhythm of the universe and Position of the Human being in the same:
This is one of the short poems that shows an analogy between the rhythm of the Universe and the language of man. The poem illustrates Paz's idea if the significance of a human being in the universe. According to Paz, human existence on earth is almost insignificant in the scheme of universe. However,every man has a specific role in this scheme. So,he is trivial but not without a purpose
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Substance/Summary of the poem 'Brotherhood:Homage To Claudius Ptolemy'
Standing Under the starry sky, the speaker realises that he/ she is a common man or woman. His/her earthly existence is a finite and bound by time. Life is very short,but the surrounding universe is enormous. Looking up at the night sky, he/she watches the stars that write his/her destiny. Intuitively, the speaker realises that his/her life is predestined. At the very moment of the self-realization the readers spells his /her destiny out.
Title of the Poem 'Brotherhood: Homage to Claudius Ptolemy'---
The word ' brotherhood ' suggests the brotherly relationships within a national community sharing a common interest. But in the context of the poem, the title indicates the idea of an organically bound universe. The poet or the speaker acknowledges a superior power that controls our existence. Human beings can only understand this intuitively. Their lives are controlled by cosmic forces and are predestined. In this sense the universe and the humanity are intertwined. Thus they share a brotherhood. Realisation of this relationship between different entities joining organically matches with the Ptolemic geocentric model. The title thus focuses on a cosmic relationship and dedicated the poem to Ptolemy. Hence it is appropriate.
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Central Idea Of the Poem Brotherhood:Homage to Claudius Ptolemy ––
The central exposes the insignificance of a human being in relation to the vast universe and all its entities working organically. The span of human existence is only a small period in the eternity of the time the human ability to reason has its limitations. So, human knowledge cannot explain the cosmic laws governing human life in and activities . But we are all linked together in history. Every life has a purpose. Both the universe and humanity are intertwined. They follow a rhythm that binds them together.
Message of the text Brotherhood: Homage To Claudius Ptolemy ––
Octavio Paz's 'Brotherhood' is a statement on the universal brotherhood of every practicle of the universe. A human being appears to be insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. But he/she is not out of this scheme. A human life is very short brief in contrast with the enternity. For a human being a life may appear to be meaningless or absurd. But the human being finds himself/herself organically related to the universe. Thus, life becomes meaningful for him.
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Annotations of the Poem Brotherhood: Homage To Claudius Ptolemy Line by line analysis ––
"I am a man: little do I last
and the night is enormous.But I look up:
the stars write."
Brotherhood: a brotherly relationship within a national or religious community sharing something in common.
In the context of this poem, it is the cosmic force that binds everything in the universe. The title refers to the idea of the relationship between different entities that work organically.
Homage: tribute; deep respect for a person;
The poet pays homage to Claudius Ptolemy because of his system based on the geocentric world system of the ancient Greek.
Man: a human being ; an individual;
I am am a man: I am an insignificant human being in comparison to the vast universe and its power.
Little: not much,
Last: continue for a particular period of time.
Little do I last: I have an ephemeral existence. I play only a small part in the stream of history and continuity of time. My earthly existence is only the passage of a small period of time.
The poet says it to show the contrast between the immensity of the universe and the smallness if human being.
The night: the time from evening to dawn.
The night is enormous: at night the universe looks extremely large. The universe that surrounds us is enormous in terms of time and space. It has a history of its own. In comparison to this vast universe, human existence is only a point of eternity. This is the poet's realisation of the workings of the universe.
But I look up: This expression suggests that the poet in spite of the insignificance of the human being, is in search of valuable meaning of human existence. It is an individual's search for the meaning of life.
The starts write: The starts on the sky move in a rhythm. The starts constitute the identity of those cosmic forces that shape our life and control the human world.
Gist of the First four lines Brotherhood:Homage To Claudius Ptolemy:
The poet standing under the starry sky, feels that human life is very short. He is only a very small part of this vast universe. The stars write our destiny.
Second Stanza:
"Unknowing I understand:
I too am written,
and at this very moment
someone spells me out."
and at this very moment
someone spells me out."
Unknowing I understand : I can understand,but such is the limitation of my my knowledge that I cannot explain it logically.
By this, the poet means that the truth lies outside man's ability to reason.we have little knowledge of the world around us.It suggests that knowledge comes to one through intuition or unconscious understanding.
I too am written: my life is predestined; My existence and the design of the universe are analogous. I only understand that my life and activities are determined by the cosmic forces. Here, the poet says that the human predicament is only a part of the rhythm of the universe.
At this very moment: the moment when I realise my position in the universe;
Actually, this is an intuitive knowledge. It cannot be explained my reason.
Someone: The fact which is implied here is this even an individual being becomea a part, through on a smallet scale, of the organic unity of the whole universe. Human life is, thus, necessarily predistined.
Someone spells me out: a seer,who can explain the devine design of my life or express in words the purpose and destination of my earthly life.
The reader of the poem can recreate and re-invent the position of the poet's life on earth. Thus a reader explains the poet' s fate.
Gist of the last four lines of Brotherhood: Homage To Claudius Ptolemy
He realises that the destiny of his life has been written . It is what a prophet can read and explain.
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Questions Answers of Brotherhood: Homage to Claudius Ptolemy
1. Write the substance of the poem 'Brotherhood: Homage to Claudius Ptolemy'.
Or,
Justify the title of the poem 'Brotherhood: Homage to Claudius Ptolemy '.
Answer- The poem 'Brotherhood: Homage to Claudius Ptolemy 'is written by Octavia Paz. In the poem the speaker stands under the sky full of stars. The speaker feels that vastness of the universe around him. He comes to the realisation that human life is infinite. The purpose and the determination of our life is destined already. But he cannot explain it logically. Through this, the poet means that we have little knowledge of the world around us and the cosmic forces are ruling our life. It is through intuition that a person can feel about his duty in the universe. However, reason cannot explain such unconscious understanding.
2. Bring Out the Central Idea of the poem 'Brotherhood '.
The poem 'Brotherhood ' is a philosophical poem. Here the poet speaker stands under the starry sky. The night is enormous. The poet wonders when he finds the enormity of the universe. He understands his position in the universe. The night represents the universe for him. He comes to the realisation that the laws of the universe govern the life of human being. His role in the universe is already predestined. Every human being is a part of the universe. The poet speaker feels a feeling of reconciliation that the vast universe is in symmetry with the petty human beings.
3. What is the significance of the stars in the poem 'Brotherhood '?
The poet speaker when stands under the sky looks up and discovers a vast universe. The stars that are twinkling strike a note of new thought and realisation. His knowledge is not sufficient to explain the mystery of the universe. Through his intuition he understands that human beings are a part of the world or the cosmos. Every individual has a specific place in this universe. The stars as he considers , determine his fate. So, the stars suggest the mysterious working power of the universe. The poet thinks that these stars twinkling in the sky reveal the mystery of the existence of every living and non-living object around him.
4. In the poem 'Brotherhood ', what does the poet say about his position on earth? How does the poet understand that 'I am too written'?
When the poet speaker looks up and sees the stars he understands the vastness of the sky and the universe. In comparison to the vast universe his life has an infinite possibility though he feels himself insignificant.
The poet comes to the realisation that his life is predestined. He is an integral part of the vast universe. Some mysteries forces are there that are determining his life. He understands the role of the stars in determining the existence of human being. The poet feels that his life is written and his destiny is already predestined.
