Looking Through Derrida’s Eyes: Deconstruction in “The Mountain and The Squirrel”
Looking Through Derrida’s Eyes:
Deconstruction in “The Mountain and The Squirrel”
by Muhammad Iqbal
1 A
mountain was saying this to a squirrel
2 "Commit
suicide if you have self-respect
3 You
are insignificant, still so arrogant, how strange!
4 You
are neither wise, nor intelligent! not even shrewd!
5 It
is strange when the insignificant pose as important!
6 When
the stupid ones like you pose as intelligent!
7 You
are no match in comparison with my splendor
8 Even
the earth is low compared with my splendor
9 The
grandeur of mine does not fall to your lot
10 The
poor animal cannot equal the great mountain!"
11 On
hearing this the squirrel said, "Hold your tongue!
12 These
are immature thoughts, expel them from your heart!
13 I
do not care if I am not large like you!
14 You
are not a pretty little thing like me
15 Everything
shows the Omni-potence of God
16 Some
large, some small, is the wisdom of God
17 He
has created you large in the world
18 And
He has taught me climbing large trees
19 You
are unable to walk a single step
20 Only
large size! What other greatness have you?
21 If
you are large show me some of the skills I have
22 Show
me how you break this beetle nut as I can
23 Nothing
is useless in this world
24 Nothing
is bad in God's creation
From lines 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 14 and 16 - there are
different sets of binary oppositions that show two items placed in relation to
each other.
Lines: 5: important/insignificant
6: intelligent/stupid
8: splendor/stupid
10: great/poor
13 &14: large/little
16: large/small
By having such classifications of binary
oppositions, we can clearly see that four different sets of relatable items
are highlighted in the poem;
1) important/insignificant “recognition”
2)
intelligent/stupid, splendor/stupid “level of intelligence”
3) great/poor
“abilities”
4) large/little, large/small “size”.
The concepts discovered
are argued along the development of the poetic narration. Since much of the
debates are shaped according to these four sets of binary oppositions, a reader
may likely to draw a Centre implying “the superiority of one element
over the other” in regard to its antonymy. Such items placed closer to the
Centre carry higher cultural values compared to the other. This has caused the
items on its opposite side to be viewed with bias, prejudice, and
underestimation, and such explanations can be understood through the
illustration provided below:
People learned all of the elements located closer to
the Centre are positive and the other is negative. It is done through
the observation of people’s perspectives in everyday interaction, self
interpretation of accepted values from socialization in school, home, and in
the public, as well various channels of advertisements portrayed on media like
TV and YouTube. In this poem, such accepted values and norms are foregrounded
with the depiction of those four binary oppositions as illustrated above. The
argument over its acceptance takes place between the opinions of the mountain
and the squirrel, which it reflects the title of the poem itself “The
Mountain and The Squirrel”. The mountain represents the people who perceive
the items closer to the Centre is positive, while the squirrel opposes such
view of reinforcing the other elements in its polarization.
What the
squirrel is doing in the poem much reflects the next stage in deconstruction;
it is about finding elements where it can contradicts itself in order to
violate the Centre “the superiority of one element over the other” where such
positive items are not always mighty in its way, for the negative elements also
possess its own unique strengths. The opinions uttered by the voice through the
character of squirrel in line 16 to 22 has provided evidence, of how the other
items in binary oppositions viewed negatively by prevailed culture can also
have special abilities.
16 Some large, some small, is the wisdom of
God
17 He has created you large in the world
18 And He has taught me climbing large
trees
19 You are unable to walk a single step
20 Only large size! What other greatness
have you?
21 If you are large show me some of the
skills I have
22 Show me how you break this beetle nut as
I can
The special abilities shown by the squirrel though
having weaknesses, has served as shaky parts to the structure of the poem. It
makes us the readers to see that Centre cannot hold all of the positive
elements to be viewed in its rigid form, for the existence of the opposite
elements’ unique strengths, which it wield positive perspectives to be drawn
from it. Hence, this has led to the collapse of those four sets of binary
oppositions; 1) important/insignificant “recognition”, 2) intelligent/stupid,
splendor/stupid “level of intelligence”, 3) great/poor “abilities”, and 4)
large/little, large/small “size”. Its polarization becomes blurred because
negative elements now are potentially to be viewed with affirmative opinions.
By the time, a new Centre is formed. The poem is no longer centred on the theme
of “the superiority of element over the other”. But, it emphasizes the
“equality” of every creations in this Earth, either the weakest one or the
strongest one, by appreciating every single existence in this world since
nothing is created without purpose, as it is written in lines:
23 Nothing is useless in this world
24 Nothing is bad in God's creation
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