It is considered that deconstructive criticism is a complicated literary approach among many schools of criticism. It requires much studying and deep analysis for comprehending the meaning of a poem, short story or novel. Most of the critics think that the term deconstruction is not simple to identify. In return, many scholars intend to define it with different descriptions. Karin Barber indicates that “deconstruction dismantles the idea of the single, whole, self-contained, isolated and unchanging artifact containing within it a single determinable meaning which it is the critic’s task to interpret. In doing so, it produces an alternative conception of literary texts that seems at first glance to have been cut directly from the pattern of literary texts”.
This definition leads way to examine a literary work. It mentions that deconstructive criticism concentrates on not only the first meaning but also the second and third meanings of one word or phrase in the given context. Therefore, deconstructive literary criticism mostly intends to find out as much interpretations as possible in a given text such as a poem or novel. It provides readers further interpretations of the text. Besides, it is believed that binary oppositions are not completely opposite, but they overlap and every binary opposition has a value-laden hierarchy between each other in literary works. In this paper, it is aimed to analyze Guide to Virtue in terms of deconstructive criticism regarding binary oppositions such as virtue/vice, peace/war, and heavenly/earthly, and by concentrating on “youth”.
To start with, deconstruction provides various interpretations of the given text. For the description of deconstructive criticism, there is another acceptable definition. According to Carl Leggo “deconstruction demonstrates and represents an understanding of language as vibrant and creative, opening up possibilities for meaning making”. This statement suggests that it analyzes a literary text with regards to its plural meanings. In this sense, it can be stated that deconstruction pays much attention to the plurality of meanings in the analyzed text. It means that analysts can produce as much as possible interpretations of a poem. In Guide to Virtue, there appears this kind of analysis. The poem basically tells readers about the salvation of one’s soul.
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This salvation can be attained through good deeds practiced in this world. These good deeds are supposed to be done in accordance with worshipping to God. Only by this way, one can achieve virtue that she or he needs to live a blessed life. Having virtue as much as possible in this earthly world paves way to live happily ever after in heaven with God. It is thought that this poem is mainly based on the Christian doctrines in which every Christian needs to follow this way.
Second of all, it is said that deconstructive literary criticism works heavily on binary opposition to clarify that they in fact are completely opposite of each other. There is a value-laden hierarchy in each binary opposition. This specifies that while applying a binary opposition to the text, one should remember that there is a privileged hierarchy in it. And binary oppositions do not totally complete each other. In this poem, there are several binary oppositions to work on. There is at first the process of assigning it and later refuting it by using deconstruction. In Guide to Virtue, vice/virtue is highlighted to contradict these two opposite forces. It can be inferred from the title of the poem that virtue is the overall theme of it and the main focus is on that word.
However, the narrator uses vice to explain virtue throughout the context which points out the truth accepted in Christianity. Vice is given by the word “doom” which exemplifies the result of vice. However, if the phrases “heavenly goal” and “Vice may cease” are considered in the framework of this binary opposition, virtue is privileged. So, it is believed that virtue/vice does not operate, since virtue has a value-laden hierarchy.
Thirdly, another binary opposition performed in the poem is peace/war which contemplates as a seemingly different issue. It is tried to make connection between virtue and peace in this context. The usage of war is understood from the phrase “combat in a world of strife” which clears up the conflict between peace and war. Yet, the influence on peace is more noticeable because it is seen in the last stanza that “Thine deed and word employ” illustrates the emphasis on the concept of peace. It is also displayed in the same stanza that “placid nights in peace” implies the hierarchy of peace in the context of the binary opposition peace/war. Additionally, heavenly/earthly is thought as last binary opposition seen in Guide to Virtue.
Since it is stated that the general theme of the poem centers on attaining salvation and saving one’s own soul by having virtue, the concept of heaven and afterlife gains much importance here. So, it is cleared up that earthly desires bring “strife” to the addressee, and that heavenly desires result in “shalt thou pass thy days in joy”. However, the addressee can overcome this strife through having virtue that leads way to heaven. It is inferred from the phrase “that Good may flourish” that heavenly overlaps in this context. Consequently, it is seen that heavenly/earthly does not promote in Guide to Virtue.
Finally, deconstructive criticism intends to study a literary text by focusing on one word or phrase. By doing so, it is aimed to show the emphasis of the word in the whole poem. In Guide to Virtue, “Youth” is chosen to be analyzed. There is an apostrophe as the figure of speech. The poem is mostly about virtue’s utility in this world. The narrator directly starts with “Youth” to get the attention of the reader. It is used to state the young’s duty in this world to attain his salvation. However, it is seen in the third stanza that “The Game of Life is lost!” stresses upon the belief that he is done in this world. This phrase refers to the fact that if he is completely taken by vice, then life becomes lost for him. But, it is seen in the last stanza that “vice may cease” specifies the consequences of having virtue in his life. So, although the usage of “youth” is given to emphasize virtue, it reminds the fact of death in one’s mind.
To sum up, deconstructive criticism intends to provide many different interpretations for analysts to comprehend better the given text. It is known that deconstruction gives the chance to analyze that a word does not have only one meaning but actually many meanings and it is important to deconstruct these meanings by thinking only what is given in the text. As it is said above that deconstructive literary criticism deeply analyzes binary oppositions by first assigning meaning to them and then refuting them. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the poem Guide to Virtue by concentrating on binary oppositions like virtue/vice, peace/war, and heavenly/earthly, and the word “Youth” to specify its relation with the content of the poem.
