B.A (Prog) English Discipline 2 Sem.

Renu Singh
Monday, 16.3.2020, lecture period 3 (10:30) Department of English

Enterprise by Nissim Ezekiel

Introduction

About the poet: Nissim Ezekiel

Nissim Ezekiel (1924 – 2004) was a Mumbai based Indian Jewish poet, playwright, actor and critic. He
studied in Mumbai and in London. Nissim Ezekiel is one of the prolific Indian writers in English of the
20th century. He was playwright, editor, critic and poet. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award
for his Poetry collection, ‘Latter-Day Psalms. He was also awarded the Padma Shree by the
Government of India in 1988. His best known books include ‘Time to Change’, ‘The Discovery of India’,
‘The Unfinished Man’ and ‘Hymns in Darkness’. He is often called the “Father of Modern Indian English
Poetry.” Ezekiel’s poetry has different themes and styles. His poems are a depiction of his
craftsmanship, restraint and intellectual approach to everyday life. His poetry renders the
contemporary themes of alienation, spiritual emptiness, isolation and fragmentation with humour,
compassion and irony. He draws his images from the cities he has known intimately, Bombay and
London, in order to explore the contemporary ethos.

Ezekiel’s poetry has close affinities with the work of T. S. Eliot, W.H. Auden and Ezra Pound.
While reading Enterprise, one may think of Eliot’s ‘The Journey of the Magi.’ Though that poem is
different in approach, but it is also about a very cold and tiring journey by three wise men in search of
spiritual pacification. Enterprise is one of those wonderful poems published in Ezekiel’s collection of
poems named ‘The Unfinished Man.’ It revolves around a metaphorical journey to a pilgrimage started
by some enthusiastic people, including poet. Though the journey started in high spirit, faced some
setbacks in the middle. Finally, when they reached the destination, they doubted the importance of
that troublesome journey. They realized its futility and concluded: “Home is where we have to gather
grace”. Thus, Enterprise, delivers a great message. The poem is didactic and one of the best poems of
Ezekiel.

Summary of the Poem

Stanza 1:

It started as……………… match our rage.

At the very beginning of the poem, the poet confirms that, with a group of people he has started for
a pilgrimage (journeys to a holy place). At that time, their minds were full of ideas to reach their
destination. Therefore, they started their journey with a lot of vigour and excitement, sure enough,
that they can easily overcome all the difficulties that they face. All of them were so enthusiastic that,
Inconveniences seemed insignificant to them.

The poet has divided the journey into stages. The travellers were full of enthusiasm and reached the
second stage of their journey. The second stage was somewhat different from the first one, since they
faced the hostility of nature on the way. They confronted the adverse natural difficulties. The sun,
symbolic of the hostility of nature, was radiating (beat down) its scorching heat on them as if to match
their spirit (rage) in intensity. But nothing could detain them from reaching their destination or take
away their enthusiasm. Their passion to reach their destination was as hot as the blazing Sun above
their heads. The heat of the sun is symbolic of Mother Nature being hostile towards human ambitions.
B.A (Prog) English Discipline 2 Sem. Renu Singh
Monday, 16.3.2020, lecture period 3 (10:30) Department of English

The more the human beings aspire, the more the nature tries to put up a hindrance to beat them
down. Thus, the second stage gave them some tough moments (explored), but that was not enough
to test their keenness. In short, though nature tried to present some obstacles, it hardly succeeded to
unnerve them or pose a real threat. All the members of the group were excited at the prospect of
going out to a pilgrimage. The thought of a holy expedition elevated their minds and made all the
burdens light. By the very nature of our minds when people are enthusiastic, the burdens seem to be
lighter. That is why nothing could pose a challenge before them at that moment.

Stanza 2:

We stood……………………………..had taught.

In this stanza of the poem, the poet has satirically described what they were doing during their
journey. He indicates to how people get distracted from the main mission. They were wasting their
time and energy taking notes on various things the farmers were selling and buying, and on the ways
of snakes and goats. They observed and took note on the cities without concerning themselves with
what the sage had taught or what his message was.

Stanza 3:

But when………………………………… grows.

The third stanza talks about the differences that cropped up among the members which made a hole
in their unity as they continued their journey. As they reached a desert, differences arose among on
the question of how to cross the challenging landscape. Some members didn’t agree with the others
on crossing a patch of desert on the way. As a result, the best prose writer and intellectual person
among them parted from the group. Therefore, a shadow of discord fell onto their enterprise and
continued to grow. So, we see that a holy journey for a noble cause no longer holds its integrity. People
are becoming egotistic and concentrating on trivial matters. Their main concern now is the way, not
the ultimate aim. Even the seemingly intellectual did not bother to reconcile the differences and hold
the members together. Ironically, he sought the easier way to part from the group. A shadow of
friction and conflict befalls the enterprise and continues to grow. They now lacked the zeal with which
they started.

Stanza 4:

Another phase………………………………… the sea.

The poet describes the hindrances that follow the enterprise. In the next stage of their journey, the
travellers are attacked twice (local or external forces) and while saving themselves they lose their ways
and forget the noble ambitions which had motivated them to come so far. The enterprise slowly
breaks into two. Some of the members, claiming their freedom, quit the journey and went their own
ways. Possibly they were unhappy with the leadership. So, the disagreement continues. We human
beings often face the opposition of fellow men on our way of life. Sometimes we lose our way by the
hostility or misguidance of others. Moreover, when we find ourselves in trouble, we forget the larger
perspective and run away to save our narrow interests. The poet feels helpless and upset at the
breaking of the enterprise, looking at the disorganized lot of pilgrims, the only thing he could do was
B.A (Prog) English Discipline 2 Sem. Renu Singh
Monday, 16.3.2020, lecture period 3 (10:30) Department of English

to pray. The act of praying implies seeking the help of a divine personality when human efforts go in
vain.

Stanza 5:

We noticed…………………………………….. merely bent.

There is still an assurance from the leader of the group. He assures them that the sea or the destination
was at hand. But it is a false hope from the leader. As they progressed, they could see nothing. They
now looked like a group of aimless and hopeless wanderers. It seems that they members have lost
their enthusiasm and hope as they see nothing noticeable as they move forward. The pilgrims have
now turned into a crowd of aimless wanderers instead of being bounded by a well-focused goal like
before. They were not bothered about the roar of the thunder; some of them were too exhausted to
stand erect. They are physically drained. Some members are not able to walk any more, and the others
just bent down with pain.

Stanza 6:

When finally……………………………………our grace.

The final stanza of Enterprise is a relief to the readers, as the poet tells us that they reached their
destination in total disorder- exhausted and frustrated- and without any sense of satisfaction. Instead
of bringing a sense of fulfillment and achievement, the journey has only brought them frustration.
They now started to doubt the importance of their journey; they begin to find it futile and
meaningless. They find nothing heroic in their achievements. They had a belief that their journey
would be unparalleled and that its success would give them a place in history. So was it
disillusionment? They later realized that such a journey was already undertaken by others before them
and would be repeated in the near futile. This gave them a sense of disillusionment and they felt the
journey was futile. In the end, they feel that staying back home would have been better than venturing
out on such a dangerous journey with disastrous consequences.

Critical Appreciation of the Poem:

Language and form

About the language and form of the poem ‘Enterprise’, it employs very simple language as Nissim
Ezekiel’s poems generally tend to do. The poem consists of only six stanzas of five lines each with a
regular rhyme scheme of ABABA. The pattern is iambic tetrameter.

Use of Verbal Antithesis: The poem has used verbal antithesis to achieve a balance. Antithesis is a
contrast or opposition in the meanings of contiguous phrases, lines or stanzas. In this poem, verbal
antithesis is not only found in the entire poem but in the same stanza and in the same lines. Some of
the examples are listed below:
B.A (Prog) English Discipline 2 Sem. Renu Singh
Monday, 16.3.2020, lecture period 3 (10:30) Department of English

*The initial activities of the pilgrims are juxtaposed with those in the final stage as the pilgrims turn
into ‘a straggling crowd of little hope.’

*The ‘exalted minds’ of the pilgrims are turned into ‘darkened faces.’

*in the beginning the pilgrims found themselves as the ‘burdens light’ but at the end of the poem they
are broken in spirit and bent down physically.

Symbolism:

‘Enterprise’ is a symbolic poem. Symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent ideas or facts.
The various symbols used in Enterprise are listed below:

*Pilgrimage in the poem symbolizes life.

*The ‘crowd of pilgrims’ symbolizes a group of men, who undertake to achieve common goal which
begins with excitement and hope but ends with disillusionment and frustration.

*The ‘Sun’ is the symbol of hostility of nature towards human aspirations and ambitions.

*A ‘desert patch’ is symbolic of the challenges and hardships which the group faces or the differences
that rise among them.

* ‘A shadow falls on us and grows’ is symbolic of the differences in opinion that leads to a discord in
the enterprise and consequently, a member leaves the group and the disharmony grows.

* ‘A straggling crowd of little hope’ symbolizes a group of people who had a well-focused goal and
during the course of their journey loses their zeal and becomes a crowd of aimless and frustrated
wanderers.

* ‘Thunder’ is symbolic of man’s inner voice.

* ‘Home’ symbolizes remaining rooted to the soil or remaining true to oneself.

Allegory: Allegory can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. The poem ‘Enterprise’ is allegorical
in nature. The group of men all set for the journey, enthusiastic and full of vigour set out for the
spiritual quest. They face hardships, difficulties yet they do not lose their aspirations. But during the
second stage of their journey, disharmony and differences in opinions among the members arises and
soon a conflict breaks out which results in disunity. The final stanza raises a question, ‘Was the journey
worth all the struggles?’ The journey here is a metaphor of life. The poem is a stark depiction of the
condition of men on this earth who are subjected to such failures, hardships and disillusionment
during their course of journey of life. There are many critics who feel that this poem is a search for the
meaning of life’s journey. Our life also begins with high expectations. But we often deviate from the
aim or face tough challenges in the middle, and finally reach the last stage without much achievement.

Epigrammatic:

An epigram is a brief, sharp, witty and polished saying giving expression to a striking thought. It is used
to convey the poet’s message in the poem.

‘Home is where we have to gather grace’ is epigrammatic. Here, the poet wants to convey the message
that in the journey of life, home is symbolic of one’s inner self which must be accepted and faced and
not shirked away. This is the only sane and balanced way of life that man should accept.
B.A (Prog) English Discipline 2 Sem. Renu Singh
Monday, 16.3.2020, lecture period 3 (10:30) Department of English

Possible questions

Symbolism in Nissim Ezekiel’s Enterprise. Or Do you think ‘Enterprise’ is a symbolic poem?

Nissim Ezekiel’s Enterprise as an allegory for the journey of life. Bring out the allegorical significance
of the poem.

Hints for the answer-

*Journey of life- (first stage, second stage, conflicts among members, disillusionment)

*Psychology of the group members (conditions they went through, conflicts)

*Journey to the holy place-(symbolizing life, final destination)