Matthew Arnold’s and Raymond Williams’ Ideas About Culture

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Culture is a state of life exhibited by a certain group of people, which is passed from generation to generation. It is mostly considered as a societal norm which every member of that given society has to adhere to. Two sociologists viewed it from different perspectives. They included Matthew Arnold and Raymond Williams. Matthew Arnold in his famous book “Culture and Anarchy” argues that culture is an inbuilt thing in an individual. It is through its practice throughout ones life that it comes to exist. Furthermore, he points out that culture contains one great essence, and it s that of sweetness and light (as cited by Super 47).

Main body

The greatest of it all being that of making it prevail. By practicing it, it’s the only sure way of ensuring the literature of that given individual is plummeting and growing to be famous. He argues out that culture is born within a person. Even if one tries to Impose his culture to others who have theirs it won’t nourish as it erodes slowly by slowly and later on cease to exist. The definition he gives on culture he says is trying to perfect ones self and ones mind as part of oneself to bring us light.

That culture is a privileged principle of authority to help one counteract the tendency to anarchy which seems to threaten him or her. Culture in its broad aspect is an enemy of anarchy and if man is to bring to maturity anything precious or lasting for now or for the future, a firm and settled course of public order is requisite (as cited by Storey 205). On the other hand, a Whelish-born sociologist, Raymond Williams, had his own definition of the word Culture. In his book “Culture is Ordinary” he defines it as the whole way of ones life, in the anthropological sense synonymous with everyday life.

Raymond argues that culture is ordinary and it is the first fact, and that every human society has its own shape, meaning and purposes and expresses it in its institutions and arts and learning. According to him, one adopts any culture that comes his way. He compares it to the old days at Cambridge where different social classes were adopted by various scholars at the teashop (Storey 234). Culture is easy to learn and any human being can be able to. He points out that everybody has his own definition of the word and none should be disregarded.

Conclusion

Like the Marxists, Raymond says said culture must be interpreted in relation to the underlying systems of production. Culture is made and remade in ones life in the course of living and anyone who thinks he or she can jump into the future without undergoing through it must have illusions. As he highlights in this book, he brings out the element of the prevailing state affecting or influencing someone’s culture. A good example being the industrial revolution bringing about new educational and commercial culture which changed the way people were living in England. Explicitly, he notes that good common culture can be made. But, first of all we must get rid of ourselves of a legacy from our most useful critics, that is, legacy of two false equations, one false analogy and another false proposition. Comparing the two, it is arguable that William gives a more lexical explanation of culture, which is more practical to our lives.

Works Cited

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular cultures. New York: Harvester Wheat Street, 1974. Print.

Super, Robert. Culture and Anarchy with Friendship’s Garland and Some Literary Essays, Volume V of The Complete Works of Matthew Arnold. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press, 1965. Print.

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Matthew Arnold’s and Raymond Williams’ Ideas About Culture

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