Scholar's Life
Introduction
First of all if we ask a question that what is scholar?
Answer is that ' A learned or erudite person especially one who has profound a
knowledge of a particular subject'. Scholar masterly gets some knowledge of his
subject of choice. Literary means connected with writing study or appreciation
of literature. So, literary scholar means a scholar one who study or get
knowledge of literature. The behavior of scholar, language of scholar, thoughts
of scholar, everything is different than other, so let’s know more details
about the life of scholar.
Scholar’s Life
Literary scholar
never stops being a scholar. Today most of them earn their living as members of
teaching faculties in colleges and universities throughout the world. Their responsibility
is quite remote from the pursuit of knowledge. They have to do many other works
being as teacher, administrators, academic committee members, etc. Not only these
but they have to do their private role as spouses, parents, family, social
works, etc. In the busy schedule the literary awareness of the literary scholar
keeps twenty-four- hour days. It means their ideas and thoughts are going on
related with their work. They have to do multitasking all the time whether in
school, university or at home. So, as a literary scholar they have to be alert
whole days. It is now almost a century
since literary study began to be professionalized. For scholars there is no
good environment in which they study only as scholar.
According to Wayne
Booth, for instance, The Scholar regretted the proliferation of dissertation
topics that concentrate on the formal aspects of literary texts "isolated
from the influences of ethics, politics, history, logic, dialectic, and even
grammar." The scope of English studies now also includes writing theory
and pedagogy. At the same time meaning of the word 'meaning' have been
drastically redefined. It is eternally slippery word. Now a days, scholarly activity become for
gathering figures rather than knowledge. The scores of conferences are just remaining;
only quantity is lying, lost of quality. The study of literature remains at
base an intensely private pursuit. No one read papers before an audience to see
his or her original ideas on a literary topic printed in a learned journal. Right
Intentions of conferences are to love of books and a consuming interest in the
intellectual and esthetic questions from different backgrounds and tastes. In scholarship
there is no prejudice born of national origin, creed, color or social class.
They always live in truest democracy of all, the democracy of the intellect. Scholars
are working together for the benefit of society, not for private
aggrandizement. Scholar always think in different ways as compare to common
man, always think about the better society while common man think about his
personal profits. So, from these many ways scholar is very different than
others.
Two Principles of Scholar’s Life
1) Let others know what you are working on. Don't worry
about boring them; if you are genuinely excited, your excitement is bound to be
contagious. True scholar always opens up his works or his ideas that what he
think and how he think. He never hides his literary works rather than he
presents it. In this technology era, scholar shares his works through digital tools
and because of that more people can read it on easier way. This is one of the
great benefits of this techno-era. And as a scholar, he must have to use it.
2) Keep up with what other people are doing, not only in
your own field but in others as well. As a scholar, he must have to be aware of
his time and society. He must have to be closer observer, so he comes to know
or understand that what is going on in and around us. As a literary scholar, he
must have to know everything related with literature but only that much is not
enough. He has to observers every field, what's going there. So, these two
principles are very important to being a scholar.
Other things related to scholar’s
Life
Scholars are sustained by desirability of fair play, self- respect,
and professional morale. Sometimes scholars are discouraged and may share the
belief, so prevalent in the word outside, that our achievements have an unreal
quality, or if they are real, at least they are futile: that they add nothing
to the sum of human wisdom or happiness. Yet if scholars are unappreciated and
undervalued, the fault is partly theirs. They gladly learn, but outside the
classroom many of them are curiously uninterested in teaching. Many modern
critics and scholars have developed the habit of talking only to each other,
neglecting the broader audience of educated people. It is scholar’s
responsibility to seize every opportunity to communicate with the lay audience,
as in book reviews or in articles and essays in the popular press on history,
biography and Culture. To educate students at all levels to read, write, and
think, developing in them the intellectual curious habit of mind that casts a disinterested
eye over all important issues, appreciating their complexities; and to lead students
by extensive reading and critical analysis of recognized writers and thinkers, ancient
and contemporary, inside and outside the mainstream, to seek, in Matthew
Arnold's words, "The best that is known and thought in the world".
And the purpose of creating in their own lives a 'current of new and fresh
ideas' appropriate in this current time. And current time is related with
technology so scholars and students of literature also have to use these
current tools of technology, to walk with time. And because of that people understand
and appreciate the works of scholars, use of those works in betterment of society. (Altick)
Conclusion
Thus, to be a scholar is not an easy task, and the life of
scholar is much busier than others. They have to always be ready to do many
works with at a time. And for that the skill of multitasking is very important
to acquire as scholar. Because they have to do many works at a time and their
minds are always alert. Any common man can’t be scholar; it is an intellectual
activity which requires sound knowledge as well as understanding.
“They're
so cold, these scholars!
May
lightning strike their food
So, that
their mouths learn how
To eat
fire! "
-Friedrich
Nietzsche
Bibliography
Altick, Richard, Fenstermaker. The Art of
Literary Research. n.d.
