Critical Analysis of the Essay "On Common Cold by Osbert Sitwell" for ADP/B.Sc English Students
On common cold Osbert
Sitwell elaborates the symptoms of cold and it is one of the charming proses of Osbert
Sitwell .According to him cold has various dimension and it is hidden with
malevolent intension in our body. Furthermore, he
exaggerates the story. On the other hand, he describes that the cold changes
the nature of effected person ,and everything gets tasteless ,as like: cigaret.
moreover, the friends who you dislike they come closer to you ,and the cousin
,who you ever met her she will ask about you. The history of cold is too deep,
and it is a devastating germ.
According to the writer, Osbert Sitwell, a common
cold should not be despised (hated) as it is amazing in its variety. If we have
a common cold , many germs lurk behind our terrible sneezing , loud coughing ,
red roses , tooth pain , hair root pain , sore eyes , difficult breathing etc.
A common cold thus alters not only our mode of life but also our feeling of
life. It changes our nature and attitude of life. The very pleasures of life
are transmuted (changed) into displeasure. Cigarettes become tasteless. So we
cannot enjoy smoking even the costly cigarettes. We are seen emitting
suffocating fumes from our mouths. Even the dainty food holds no interest. Our
appetite is entirely centered on hot water bottles. A person suffering from a
common cold no more likes to see his friends. If he does not have any friends ,
he now suddenly becomes genial on having a cold and he would even like to phone
or meet those whom he had never liked to meet. The writes feels it strange when
one of his cousins suddenly came to meet him although she had never seen him
all her life. So he detected that she was suffering from a cold.
There are some people who take pleasure in catching
the common cold so that they may enjoy its infection. In a house hold being the
germ carrier they are apt to form a reservoir. Professional people like
hairdresser , waiters , writers , clergymen and doctors catch common cold more
than others. As such professionals have daily public dealings. Clergy men do so
on Sundays and the writers , specially the lady novelists so at their club
meetings. The chemists do so at their shops.
The cold climate of England causes common cold in
the national interest. For example , Napoleon , attacked England but common
cold caught him and he could be finally defeated by English on June 18 , 1815
at Waterloo. So credit of his defeat goes to common cold and no to British Duke
of Wellington or German Field Marshal Blucher. The Kaiser , a ruler of Germany
, was horribly afraid of common cold. Adolf Hitler , the most cruel dictator of
Germany was a very notorious sufferer of common cold. On account of the common
cold , the troops of Caesar , the Roman emperor , sneezed so much painfully in
the battle field that they lost their energy when they invaded England. An English
general himself became so much lean that he could not issue orders to eth
British troops to attack.
Exaggeration in the Essay
Exaggeration makes any piece of writing enjoyable
in reading. The essay “On Common Cold” by “Osbert Sitwell” gives us a great
pleasure while we go through it and the tool (for giving us pleasure) used by
the writer is nothing else than exaggeration. Exaggeration is always satiric
and in this essay the writer has used an elegant way of satirizing the most common
illness, cold, which is so common that most of the times, it is known as a
‘common cold’
The whole essay is replete with the examples of
exaggeration. The very first image of the cold stricken person is exaggerated
that he suffers from “sneezing, coughing, and red noses, the pains in the teeth
and in the roots of the hair, these sore eyes, aching in the limbs, this
difficult breathing, these voices, husky and grating”. The image is made still better through the words:
“a common cold alters the very existence of him who suffers from it; not only
his mode of life but also the appearance and feeling of it.” Then he says that view from the window is
seen in such a way that it was not looked before. “The very pleasures of life
are transmuted as at the touch of a witch’s finger”. “Cloves”, “lemon infusing
the streaming glass” and “hot-water bottles” enhance the sharpness of the image
still more.
Again writer exaggerates by telling that lonely
persons become congenial and congenial persons become lonely! Then he says that
in winter, if your phone rings, a person who, is unknown to you, wants to meet
you and he is your enemy or has some hostile feelings for you, consider that he
has become victim of this disease. Then he quotes the reference of his cousin
who did not come to meet him in life. She suddenly came one day at his home to
meet him. He understood by her nose that she became victim of cold therefore
she visited here.
He exaggerates by describing that a person of
lonely temperament suddenly becomes friendly and pleasure-loving. He wants “to
visit theatres, lectures and concert-halls where they may splutter and sneeze
to their heart’s content.” The idea of a few persons in every community serving
as store-house for germs of cold is really very much exaggeration. We find an
exaggerated list of person spreading cold very eagerly, and, to our surprise,
doctors and chemists are both found therein. He says that a person who has
vision can see that germs dance on the bottles of colourful- water. He says
that these shops are pilgrims of infectious people. He says “doctors, again,
carry the infection into your own house.” When doctor “opens his bag, he
releases all the battalions of bacilli, which are to be seen whirling out of
it, rejoicing to escape from their captivity.” A tender, soft, sublime but
interesting exaggerated image is that of the lady novelists reading at P.E.N
club in a changed pronunciation due to cold.
Last idea is presented by the writer that as
England is the native land of the Bacilli of cold, because its climate is the
best, loyal and most abiding for this. And cold has always favoured the English
Nation in the battles. He says that the battle of waterloo is not conquered by
Duke of Willington or Blucher, but this germ. He says “not the Duke of Willington
was his conqueror, neither Blucher____but this despised and altogether
underrated bacillus.” Again he exaggerates in great and interesting manner. We
enjoy the manner and lever to which the writer has taken his exaggeration. He
says about Kaiser that “he was informed by doctor that he was suffering from a
little cold, he replied: it is a great cold. Nothing about me is little”
The writer uses exaggeration in this essay so
beautifully, interestingly, and in so sublime manner that our taste of reading
maintains till end of essay. We feel pleasure and enjoyment by reading it. We
bring little smile on our face by reading this exaggerated and humorous essay.
The writer uses all tolls of writing so brilliantly that our whole focus and
attention remain toward the essay and we forget all hardships and worries of
life. We go in the pleasurable world of imagination and are happy with writer.
IRONY
In this
essay “On a Common Cold”, “Osbert Sitwell” writes on common topic of cold but
he represents it in so interesting, beautiful and sublime manner by using
satire, irony and exaggeration that a reader feels pleasure and enjoyment after
reading it. He uses these tools to create humour, interest, attraction, and
taste in the topic. From beginning to end, reader indulges so much in the essay
that he forgets all worries, hardships and anxieties of life. Tool of irony
makes this topic as eminent as special topic.
Osbert Sitwell’s all writings are full with satire
and irony. In this essay, the author also frequently indulges in playful irony.
First of all it is essential to understand what irony is. Irony is difference
between appearance and reality. It is difference between statement and its
meaning. This tool is like doctor’s apparatus and it has to be used with utmost
care and attention. And the writer uses it in this essay with full
craftsmanship and skill for creating special effect on the readers.
Here are many places in the essay, where the author
indulges in playful irony. One of them is, when writer tells about the reversal
of temperaments among the sufferers from cold .it supplies good ironic
situation. The writer says that the congenial people become solitary and alone
and those people who have congenial temper start meeting with people who have
far-fetched relations with them. Then he says when your cell rings in winter
and someone unknown wants to meet you, consider that he has indulged in this
disease. He tells about his cousin who did not visit his home in her life, but
one day she visited there. He understood the cause of this visit that she was
suffering from cold.
Another ironic place in the essay is, when writer
says that persons who have temperament to live in loneliness, they become
“pleasure-loving and visit theatres, lectures and concert-halls where they may
splutter and sneeze to their heart’s content.” Again he uses irony by saying
that cold has positive pleasure for some persons. Such types of people are
present in every society. He says: “persons undoubtedly exist to whom a cold is
an obvious, positive pleasure”.
The list of people that spread bacilli of cold is
another ironic place. We find the doctors, the chemists and even the clergymen
spread cold ironically enough. He says that doctor’s bag is house of germs and
he spreads them in patient’s house. When he opens his bag, all the germs try to
come out from this imprisonment. He says about doctor’s bag: “he opens it he
releases all the battalions of bacilli, which are to be seen whirling out of
it, rejoicing to escape from their captivity.” He also makes irony about
chemist’s shop by saying that these “shrines are centers of pilgrimage to the
infectious people.” They can watch that germs are present on the bottles of
different colours and they try to come out from this captivity. Then he makes
strong irony on church by saying that church is like refrigerator in which
germs remain healthy and fresh for one week, till the next Sunday. He says this
thing in this statement: “churches…. to be considered as refrigerators, in
which germs can be preserved fresh and healthy during the week, until next
Sunday.
Another piece of irony is found near the end of the
essay where we are told that the bacilli of cold are friendly with the
Englishmen because England is their native place because of soil and climate.
He states “England, its favourite habitat, since our climate is the best, most
loyal and most abiding allay which this affliction possesses.” Again he uses
irony by saying that the germs defeat the worst enemy of the English at
Waterloo. He states “arch-enemy of England: he was defeated finally and forever
at Waterloo, by a common cold. Not the Duke of Wellington was his conqueror,
neither Blucher.” Again writer uses this tool by saying that common cold helped
England in the past by suffering his own generals. Some generals were kicked
out from army before they spoke any word which became the cause of thousand
dead bodies of soldiers.
The whole essay is full with ironic statements. He
uses this tool with mastery and craftsmanship. He attracts the attention of
reader by it and keeps them fresh by creating humour.
APPEAL OF THE ESSAY
Some essays are appealing through their subject-matter
while certain others are appealing through their manner of writing. The essay
“On a Common Cold” by Osbert Sitwell depends on its style for making itself
appealing to the readers. The subject-matter of the essay is as common, dull
and boring as common cold but the manner of writing has made the essay a fine
readable and enjoyable essay. The writer represents essay in so beautiful,
interesting and humorous way that it gives up lot of effect on the reader and
makes the subject-matter important and attractive. The writer writes in such a
manner that reader forgets all worries, hardships and anxieties of life while
reading it. Technique has used with so craftsmanship and skill that it captures
the reader until he finishes the whole essay. Reader’s attention and focus
remains in this essay till end.
The writer has taken help from two tools both of
which have been used by the writer in the way of master-craftsman: irony and
exaggeration. As a result of these techniques, the essay has got a sweet charm
and pleasure. Exaggeration makes any piece of writing enjoyable in reading. The
essay “On Common Cold” by Osbert Sitwell gives us a great pleasure while we go
through it and the tool (for giving us pleasure) used by the writer is nothing
else than exaggeration. Exaggeration is always satiric and in this essay the
writer has used an elegant way of satirizing the most common illness, cold,
which is so common that most of the times, it is known as a ‘common cold’
Osbert Sitwell’s all writings are full with satire and irony. In this essay,
the author also frequently indulges in playful irony. First of all it is
essential to understand what irony is. Irony is difference between appearance
and reality. It is difference between statement and its meaning. This tool is
like doctor’s apparatus and it has to be used with utmost care and attention.
And the writer uses it in this essay with full craftsmanship and skill for
creating special effect on the readers.
Here are many places in the essay, where the author
indulges in playful irony and exaggeration. One of them is, when writer tells
about the reversal of temperaments among the sufferers from cold .it supplies
good ironic situation. The writer says that the congenial people become
solitary and alone and those people who have congenial temper start meeting
with people who have far-fetched relations with them. Then he says when your
cell rings in winter and someone unknown wants to meet you, consider that he
has indulged in this disease. He tells about his cousin who did not visit his
home in her life, but one day she visited there. He understood the cause of
this visit that she was suffering from cold.
Another ironic and exaggerated place in the essays
which arouses humour is, when writer says that persons who have temperament to
live in loneliness, they become “pleasure-loving and visit theatres, lectures
and concert-halls where they may splutter and sneeze to their heart’s content.”
Again he uses irony by saying that cold has positive pleasure for some persons.
Such types of people are present in every society. He says: “persons
undoubtedly exist to whom a cold is an obvious, positive pleasure”.
The list of people that spread bacilli of cold is
another ironic and exaggerated place. We find the doctors, the chemists and
even the clergymen spread cold ironically enough. He says that doctor’s bag is
house of germs and he spreads them in patient’s house. When he opens his bag,
all the germs try to come out from this imprisonment. He says about doctor’s
bag: “he opens it he releases all the battalions of bacilli, which are to be
seen whirling out of it, rejoicing to escape from their captivity.” He also
makes irony about chemist’s shop by saying that these “shrines are centers of
pilgrimage to the infectious people.” They can watch that germs are present on
the bottles of different colours and they try to come out from this captivity.
Then he makes strong irony on church by saying that church is like refrigerator
in which germs remain healthy and fresh for one week, till the next Sunday. He
says this thing in this statement: “churches…. to be considered as
refrigerators, in which germs can be preserved fresh and healthy during the
week, until next Sunday.
Another piece of irony and exaggeration is found
near the end of the essay where we are told that the bacilli of cold are
friendly with the Englishmen because England is their native place because of
soil and climate. He states “England, its favourite habitat, since our climate
is the best, most loyal and most abiding allay which this affliction
possesses.” Again he uses irony by saying that the germs defeat the worst enemy
of the English at Waterloo. He states “arch-enemy of England: he was defeated
finally and forever at Waterloo, by a common cold. Not the Duke of Wellington was
his conqueror, neither Blucher.” Again writer uses this tool by saying that
common cold helped England in the past by suffering his own generals. Some
generals were kicked out from army before they spoke any word which became the
cause of thousand dead bodies of soldiers.
The whole essay is full with ironic and exaggerated statements. He uses
these tools with mastery and craftsmanship. He attracts the attention of reader
by it and keeps them fresh by creating humour.
