• sahitya-classes
• April 23, 2025
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This blog is not related to UGC-NET English Literature. This is a mourning blog. It is bleeding because lives have been silenced violently in Pahalgam. Can tourism snatch away someone’s freedom to live? Oh, the recent terrorist attack proves it right. It is disheartening to see one more severe attack on humanity. Literature is a guiding light which we often try to cover in parts for UGC-NET English exam preparation but it is more than that! Have you deeply felt humane after reading literature? That’s the primary task of literature. We could have easily celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday today but it is hard to celebrate when there is destruction of ethos and humanity. There are numerous poems on terrorism but this poem by T.M. Moore reflects the mood of the world today after witnessing another cowardice and inhumane treatment.

What is the matter?

What did I read today? “Eyewitnesses recounted that gunmen entered the area, unleashing gunfire on tourists who were enjoying pony rides, dining at local stalls, or picnicking on the grass,” reported The Economic Times. The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed that they have done this heinous crime. It will be a proud moment for them when we ask “Why” aloud.

T.M. Moore’s poem, “Why Not?” acts as a psychological witness to terrorism. Let us unveil how. Its opening lines say it all:

“We shake our heads, and wonder, “Why?” aloud

each time some speeding truck plows through a crowd,

or grinning gunman gloats at blood and breath

spilled and extinguished by his date with death”

This is the aftermath of such terrorist attacks. These lines reveal the shock, trauma, and confusion after such events have taken place. The poet is urging all the readers to look beyond what they can see in these lines.

Moore’s poem asks us to question “Why Not?” and to prompt introspection about societal and moral conditions that may contribute to such acts.

“we look the other way, or maybe pray
and shrug, not knowing what to do or say.

For we have tolerated, without much
objection, all the many lies that clutch

our throats with ever-tightening grip, as by
our shameful, silent sufferance we comply

with those who teach that life is meaningless,
and satisfying self’s the way to bless”

In the aforementioned lines, T.M. Moore clearly reflects how we keep tolerating suffering silently without “knowing what to do or say.” We have been continuously lied to about our lives, security, rights, relationships, faith, and so on. Therefore, we have lost our integrity to stand up against falsehood and deception. So, we, as humans, fail to reason for all the right causes. So, Moore quietly highlights the fragmented self we carry, dissolving into our own vested interests. We do not know the right way to pray. We condemn ourselves by thinking that our lives mean nothing and should be lost over something which we do not even understand well.

“whatever new morality some fool
in academic garb touts as a rule

of life; and who, like us and all the rest,
care only for whatever suits them best.

So when mind-boggling sadnesses occur,
and minds grope vainly, and the truth’s a blur,

instead of asking “Why?” we really ought,
all things considered, ask ourselves, “Why not?”

In the aforementioned stanza, Moore questions our morality and ethos rooted in self-centredness. Further, he says, when such incidences occur, they clearly demonstrate how we are not yet fully settled with the truth. We just lie in vain and sadness without even thinking why it will not happen. We just put blame on others whereas the daggers lie in our hands. The poem delves into the erosion of moral values and the loss of spiritual direction, implying that a society detached from ethical and spiritual moorings becomes susceptible to acts of terror.​ Rather than resigning to despair, Moore’s poem serves as a call to introspection and action, urging a re-evaluation of personal and collective values.​

Likewise, we are all Macbeths hallucinating about bloody daggers: “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?”(Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1) It is because we know from our inner core that we are responsible. All lives are cyclical and nuggets of interpretation and interpretation without consciousness is just like a body without soul. We hallucinate before we commit crime and then manifest our guilt like Lady Macbeth: “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”(Lady Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1). This is not empathetic witnessing. Absolutely not! We are the violence ourselves. We have written and indoctrinated violence into our bodies. Sometimes in blood, sometimes in flesh. But there will be no rescue until and unless we move towards a conscious living. The faith itself is non-violent. If we name faith as violence then it is an unjustified act because faith brings peace. We need to move beyond that!

A tribute cannot be marketed because it is the truth that cannot be marketed. Therefore, we will celebrate Shakespeare and literature while condemning the violence that took place in Pahalgam.

However, we have already launched the UGC-NET English crash course. You can enroll in it. For more information, you can connect with us!

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