Shooting Star & Last Island

[kiyani]

I'm not getting what Charles Lamb is saying in the following lines. If you kindly state your precious opinnion regarding this extract from Lamb's essay In Praise of Chimney Sweepers....

I am by theory obdurate to the seductiveness of what are called a fine set of teeth. Every pair of rosy lips is a casket, presumably holiding such jewels; but, methinks, they should take leave to "air" them as frugally as possible. The fine lady, or fine gentleman, who show me their teeth, show me bones. Yet must I confess, that from the mouth of a true sweep a display (even to ostentation) of those white and shinning ossifications, strike me as an agreeable anomaly in manners, and an allowable piece of foppery. It is, as when
A sable cloud
Turns forth her silver lining on the night.

Thanks in Anticipation

[wajid Kiani]

Originally Posted by kiyani

I'm not getting what Charles Lamb is saying in the following lines. If you kindly state your precious opinnion regarding this extract from Lamb's essay In Praise of Chimney Sweepers....

I am by theory obdurate to the seductiveness of what are called a fine set of teeth. Every pair of rosy lips is a casket, presumably holiding such jewels; but, methinks, they should take leave to "air" them as frugally as possible. The fine lady, or fine gentleman, who show me their teeth, show me bones. Yet must I confess, that from the mouth of a true sweep a display (even to ostentation) of those white and shinning ossifications, strike me as an agreeable anomaly in manners, and an allowable piece of foppery. It is, as when
A sable cloud
Turns forth her silver lining on the night.

Thanks in Anticipation

He is saying that smile attracts him a lot. Further he smilies the leaps with a coffin like box which hide the teeth.He wants this box to remain open for a reasonable time, so the show of teeth can cause the smile of a lady or a gentleman. Though he thinks that too much smile is like stupidity, but according to him it affects him in same manner as the light coming from dark skies (light of moon) does to a dark night.

So, i think he wants us to keep our mouths open

Eng Lit is not my subject, so apology in advance for any mistake. But, i tried to present what in my view writer wants to convey us.

[kiyani]

Certainly Lamb is giving his point of view regarding smile rather happiness, a difference between the happiness of industrial lords and chimney sweepers, as per my understanding. To get the actual point i posted a query here....

[Aariz Ahmad]

Ooh meray khuda, itni hair-splitting detail hoti hai English Literature main.

@ Kiyani

I really liked your user-name. General Kiyani is the man of principles

[Shooting Star]

Originally Posted by kiyani

I'm not getting what Charles Lamb is saying in the following lines. If you kindly state your precious opinnion regarding this extract from Lamb's essay In Praise of Chimney Sweepers....

I am by theory obdurate to the seductiveness of what are called a fine set of teeth. Every pair of rosy lips is a casket, presumably holiding such jewels; but, methinks, they should take leave to "air" them as frugally as possible. The fine lady, or fine gentleman, who show me their teeth, show me bones. Yet must I confess, that from the mouth of a true sweep a display (even to ostentation) of those white and shinning ossifications, strike me as an agreeable anomaly in manners, and an allowable piece of foppery. It is, as when
A sable cloud
Turns forth her silver lining on the night.

Thanks in Anticipation

LI is not well.Here I am.Apologies for being late.

This is what i understood.

To Charles Lamb,purity of heart matters the most. He is praising smiles of chimney sweepers because he finds them pure at heart. The writer calls such pure smiles a folly in the era of industrialization and materialism yet a pleasant deviance from set norms of society where one smiles with those people and for those things which can give them some benefit. Though fine ladies and industrial lords possess beautiful set of teeth,which qualify the tough standards of lamb and to hide them is quite unfair according to him, yet he wants them not to show their teeth(smile) because their smiles come from the teeth(bones) only not from the heart.Their smiles do not bring any joy to him.They need reasons to smile whereas chimney sweepers smile whenever they feel like. Dark(Sable) cloud is a simile used for dark chimney sweepers who are symbols of hope in the morally deteriorated society.

Regards.