Critical Analysis of Sir Philip Sidney’s Defense of Poesy

The Defence of Poesy by Philip Sidney published in 1595 is a long essay that comes as an reception to Stephan Gossons constitute The School of Abuse, where he, in his puritan and strict direction of thinking, attacks the poet and his verse (Wharton 56). Gosson primarily points out that illustration and literature corrupt the publics feel of morality since it opens the publics encephalon with different realities. It gives the public ideas towards consumerism as literature and fiction becomes a way of money making.It heightens human desire for material harvest-home and development that is most of the time destructive. Gosson is afraid that people will prioritize tangible development than the traditional sense of morality. Philip Sidney though in this work of literature The Defence of Poecy opposes Gossons objections towards rime or Gossons puritan attack on imaginative literature. He primarily stated that poetry has an indispensable rove in the decree as it is a reflection of history, ethics and philosophy. verse line that contains these complementing elements has an ethical function to the readers.Poetry by which he meant imaginative or inventive writing has an ethical value which aims to appeal human beings to see to it the form of reliableness, which seen they cannot exclusively love ere themselves be aware, as if they took a care for of cherries (Macaulay 11) Poetry which is the best faculty of invention for Sidney has a high mapping for moral education that ch eachenges the minds of the readers. In this literature, Sidney gave good arguments. Unlike science and technology, poetry is a unique human art that is not completely restricted upon nature as the major subject. Instead, poetry makes complementing combinations.Poets reach out of their creative imagination, rationality, logic, observation, experiences, acquired knowledge from history and philosophies. The writer creatively combine any of these to create literature. Similarly, poet lifted up with the vigor of his own invention, doth grow in case another nature, in making things either better than nature bringeth forth, or quite anew, forms such as never were in nature, as the Heroes, Demigods, Cyclops, Chimeras, Furies, and such like (Macaulay 12). meantime poetry when it is factual will benefit the go and corrupt world.The poetrys content will illustrates something about reality, how these reality benefited the human beings and the writers spatial relation towards this particular reality. Poetry then is very useful to challenge the mind of the readers and also think like the poet itself as it introduces them into a world of ideas. Meanwhile poetry is also an art that reflects perfection, beauty and moral idealism. He says poetry worketh, not only to make a Cyrus which has been a particular excellence as nature might have done, but to bestow a Cyrus upon the world to make many Cyruses, if they will learn aright why and how that maker made him (Macaulay 1 3).He believes that this kind of fiction can actually influence the real world in socially positive ways. Members of the society with this kind of literature might be encourage to live a picturesque and ideal manners. It will give them idea that this kind of life is possible. Therefore, poets through their works give the readers mental pictures towards the possibility of having a more than ideal world, provide possible solutions and create ideal persons as models to occur in real life.Poetry challenges the mind, the physical senses, the fantasy and the judgment of the readers. finished poetry, people are also encourage to create to make things beautiful just like what they read in literature. Sidney also stresses that the poet goeth hand in hand with nature, not enclosed within the narrow warrant of her gifts, but freely ranging within the zodiac of his own wit (Macaulay 11). Sidney apparently acknowledges that a poet uses all the his resources to create an art and in some sen se a liar because they sometimes make things up.But every poetry entertains, delights and teaches the readers with a ad hoc educational purpose. There is nothing as arts for arts sake because whatsoever the poets purpose or intention in creating, words that create images whether good or bad a poet moves the readers to be better than they are. The mental images establishes craze and desire and knowing your individual passion and desire will protract to self discovery and encourages journey for awareness. Apparently Sidney present poetry in its affirmative light illustrating its positive effects to the readers.