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'Mimesis' in Colonial Writings As an Assertion of Power: Positioning Plato As a Postcolonial Thinker

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'Mimesis' in Colonial Writings As an Assertion of Power: Positioning Plato As a Postcolonial Thinker NOVATEUR PUBLICATIONS JournalNX- A Multidisciplinary Peer Reviewed Journal ISSN No: 2581 - 4230 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 5, May. -2021 ‘MIMESIS’ IN COLONIAL WRITINGS AS AN ASSERTION OF POWER: POSITIONING PLATO AS A POSTCOLONIAL THINKER Muhammed Jabir MP English and Comparative Literature Central University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India [email protected], Mob: 9496040895 ABSTRACT: Mimesis and his findings of how it corrupts the Plato is one of the most influential minds find an interesting parallel in thinkers since the Classical time of Greece. postcolonial critiques of canonical narratives. Most of the literary criticisms came after Plato’s Writings are mostly in the form of him were trying to reply Plato to defend the dialogues. With perhaps only a major exception moral authority of poetry. This paper is an being the work titled “Apology”. In Platonic attempt to intertwine the two seemingly dialogues, we usually see the figure of Socrates unparalleled stream of thoughts club into a occupying the centre stage. In ‘The Republic’ for common politico-critical space. Plato, the instance, we do not directly hear the voice of Athenian philosopher, who lived Plato himself. What we hear primarily is the somewhere around 428/427 or 424/423 – voice of Socrates. The problem that he 348/347 BC might be a strange figure in the identifies at the heart of poetry is its imitative socio-political context of the second half of nature. And the Greek word that refers to twentieth century. But his critical thoughts, imitation is ‘Mimesis’. This will be a key word especially his literary criticism, find an to understand Platonic view in the postcolonial interesting parallel in Postcolonial stream reading as well. One of the major reasons for of literary criticism. It’s an attempt to read Plato to banish poetry from his republic was Plato from a Postcolonial angle and none other than its feature of Mimesis. For positioning him as a critique in Postcolonial Plato, Mimesis is the real source of corruption critical space. This paper analyses Plato’s in more than one way. Plato has a problem with Book X of The Republic and the position poetry that imitates men and their actions, and taken by Socrates, the central character of show how these actions produce good or bad Plato’s Dialogues. Plato’s ideas on Mimesis results, thereby creating joy or sorrow for an and his other major criticism against poetry individual. In the same chapter Plato also are juxtaposed here with postcolonial states, the reason why he has a problem with criticism of Edward Said, Michel Foucault, such kind of imitative poetry, “The imitative Chinua Achebe and other major poet implants an evil constitution, for he postcolonial critiques. indulges the irrational nature which has no discernment of greater and less, but things the INTRODUCTION: same thing at one time great and at another The influence of Plato in the European small. He is a manufacturer of images and is tradition of thoughts and ideas has been so very far removed from the truth (Book X, The enormous that the 20th century intellectual A. Republic). For Plato, imitative poetry is N. Whitehead had famously declared that the problematic because of two reasons. Firstly, he whole of the European philosophical tradition argues that imitative poetry has a corrupting was little more than a series of footnotes added effect upon audience. It “implants an evil to the writings of Plato. Plato’s exploration of constitution” (Book X, The Republic). Secondly, 11 | P a g e NOVATEUR PUBLICATIONS JournalNX- A Multidisciplinary Peer Reviewed Journal ISSN No: 2581 - 4230 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 5, May. -2021 Plato argues that imitative poetry They write what is appears before them from a manufactures images that are far removed distant land and culture. But there is more than from the truth. ‘Mimesis’ is corrupting because one hindrance to them to depict the native of two distinct, but interconnected reasons. The land. One is the distance that is literally there in first reason has to do with the nature of reality between the writer and the native land. Second or nature of truth. And this is associated with a barrier is the language and culture. But the philosophical theory that is usually referred to British authors tried to make sense about their as Plato’s theory of form. If we follow the colonized lands without taking these theory of forms in colonial context, what the considerations. The huge amount of documents colonial writer tries to make is in fact, a that the academic Orientalism produced was miniature copy of the life of the natives in the acknowledged in Europe as the most authentic colonized lands. way of knowing about the Orient. So much so Plato explains his theory of forms taking that someone like the British philosopher a cue from the Painting of bed. Plato rejects the James Mill could justify writing a multivolume painter’s copy of a bed on the ground that since history of India just by consulting the available material bed is a specific representation of the documents on India that were available in ideal form, it only represents an aspect of the England without ever visiting India, without universal, that is to say a very small part of the ever living there, without ever knowing a single whole. When the painter in turn imitates the Indian language. This is what Mill writes in the material bed, he imitates not the material bed preface to his History of British India justifying as it is in reality, but rather as it appears to him. his position: “This writer (Refers himself) has For instance, the painter standing next to a never been in India; and has a very slight and material bed will only paint the bed as it elementary acquaintance, with any of the appears to him from that angle. This languages of the East. Yet it appeared to me, appearance does not encompass the entire that a sufficient stock of information was now reality of the material bed. This argument finds collected in the languages of Europe, to enable a parallel in postcolonial criticism against the inquirer to ascertain every important point, master narratives. It can be pointed out thus: in the history of India.” (Mill: 1817). If this The argument is that though life in colonized statement juxtaposes with the Platonic point of land is a material reality, colonial author only view, the very audacity of this claim will be sees an aspect of the native life, that is to say a revealed. That is to know all the important very small part of the whole and a perspective points about the history of India without ever from the writer only. That cannot be the living there or without ever knowing any universal perspective and the experience in Indian languages is a morally flawed authority. totality. Yet such claims to knowledge about the Orient The character Socrates in Plato’s The was to become commonplace during the late Republic considers Mimesis to be corrupting for 18th and 19th century. two distinct but interconnected reasons. The The second reason for which the first reason is that Mimesis deals in character of Socrates in Plato’s The Republic appearances rather than in reality and is considers Mimesis to be corrupting is because situated at a third remove from the true form of he thinks that it confuses our sense of a thing. So in the colonial context, the depiction distinction between knowledge and ignorance. of colonized land in the writings of colonial Consider these lines that Socrates utters in authors at second removes from the truth. Book X of The Republic: “A painter will paint a 12 | P a g e NOVATEUR PUBLICATIONS JournalNX- A Multidisciplinary Peer Reviewed Journal ISSN No: 2581 - 4230 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 5, May. -2021 cobbler, carpenter or any other artist though Orientalism and it informed whatever he knows nothing of their arts. And if he is a systematic enquiry was going on about the good artist, he may deceive children or simple Orient. persons when he shows them his picture of a So, from the Platonic views of Mimesis, carpenter from a distance. And they will fancy in the context of realistic paintings, we arrive at that they are looking at a real carpenter” (Book two main arguments. The first argument is that X, The Republic). In fact, what Socrates is Mimesis deals in appearances that are situated referring here is the painter’s ability to make us at a third remove from the reality. The second believe that he is so knowledgeable in the art of argument is that mimetic artists lack true carpentry that the man he has painted as a knowledge of the things that they imitate carpenter. It is precisely what an ideal though they might fool one into believing that, carpenter looks like in real life. Similarly, the they are greatly knowledgeable. Now, take colonial text can also make the world believe these insights on Mimesis, and see how they that it knows the colonized land and culture so apply to the works of some colonial writers. well that its portrayal is a true representation The Character Socrates points out in Book X of of heterogeneous culture. According to Plato’s ‘The Republic’ that a virtuous character is point of view, this is problematic and is in fact, difficult to portray through imitative poetry. a deception in itself. But here comes the power And this is because a poet depends on imitating politics to play. The colonial author’s the outward actions and emotional expressions perspective becomes the only accepted, of a man to portray his characters.
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