Subject: Research Methodology

Topic: Keats and Ghani as Flowers in same buds; but different in color-
Beauty comparison as Romantic element.
Submitted by: Muhammad Ibraheem
Submitted to: Dr. Haseeb Nasir

1. Introduction   
• 1.1.Background of Study    
• 1.2 Problem Statement   
• 1.3. Research Objectives   
• 1.4 Research Questions.
• 1.5 Significance of research 
• 1.6 Work limitations
2. Literature Review
3. Research Methodology  
• 3.1: Research Design 
• 3.2: Method of Data Collection 
• 3.3; Data sampling 
• 3.4: Theoretical Framework
4. References.
1: Introduction
It is true that a century separates two poets Keats and Ghani. Keats died young while Ghani
lived to ripe old age of eighty-two. Both belonged to two separate cultures, one occidental and
the other oriental. They belonged to different ages. John Keats belonged to the Romantic
Movement and he is greatly influenced by it. Ghani khan did not belong to the Romantic
Movement. But his poetry has Romantic elementst. They wrote, spoke, and communicated in
different languages. They lived in societies of different levels of morality. Ghani had visited
Keats homeland, but Keats had never even heard of the Pukhtoons. All these differences cannot
be denied. Yet it is so intriguing that these poets belonged to diverse cultures and times were
alike in so many ways and there were still many points of similarity between the poetry of Abdul
Ghani Khan and John Keats.
Similarity in theme, they have almost the same feelings but have used different languages. The
core and crux of their poetry is basically one, they were highly Romantics and staunch believers
in beauty. Beauty was their guiding force and goal. Their beauty concept transcends the
limitations of time and enriches the essence of civilization and culture.
The concept of beauty and nature in the poetry of Abdul Ghani Khan and John Keats is similar.
Both these great Romantic poets of Pashto and English were great admirers of nature and beauty.
They loved nature and they had genuine interest in it to express their inner most and deepest
feelings. They found the beauty in nature to be a source to recognize and see God. Their Godly
feelings arose because of their beautiful naturalistic description in their poetry.
When two great poets of the same stature are put together, the aesthetic pleasure is greatly increased.
Poets do share the elements of universality in their poetry which transcend the limits of time and
space. The message they give is universal, timeless and space less. Hence, universality in the
poetry of both Abdul Khan and John Keats has made them immortal and for all times to be read
and to be impressed by.
1.1 Background of the Study
The intended study proposes to deal with the elements of Romanticism in the poetry of Keats and
Ghani. The most general genre under which the study falls is literature and the sub-genre is
poetry. A comparative study of these poets will be brought into light mainly focusing on element
of Romanticism, the beauty.
1.2 Problem statement
When it comes to Romanticism both poets are highly celebrated despite the fact, they belong to
different time periods, cultures, backgrounds, and even languages yet they share the elements of
universality in their poetry transcending the limits of time and space. The universality in the
poetry of both poets has made them immortal and for all times to be read and impressed by.
There are so many Romantic elements in their poetry such as, love for nature, imagination,
immortality, aestheticism etc. And many writers have tried to highlight the points of comparison
in their poetry. But the present study aims to analyze selected poems of targeted poets in order to
shed light on the poet's depicted beauty, the catchword of Romanticism in the selected text. The
second primary concern of the present study is to point out factors that lead them to
Romanticism. The aim will be achieved through research and deep analysis of the selected
poems as sample and preparation of the report.
1.3 Research objectives
Following are the key objectives of the research being conducted.
1: Imagination, nature, beauty, escapism etc. as elements of similarity between John Keats and
Ghani khan.
2: To have an understanding of poets of different ages and their similar thoughts.
3: To find out the effects of Romanticism on poets of different ages.
4: To know about Keats’ and Ghani's depiction of beauty as Romantic element in their poetry.
1.4 Research Questions
Following are the basic research questions.
1: what are the elements of similarity between John Keats and Ghani khan?
2: How poets of different languages convey the same thought in their poetry?
3: What are and how the different factors influenced the poets of different origins and ages as
Romantics?
4: How the staunch believers in beauty, Keats and Ghani depicted beauty in their poetry?
1.5 Significance of research
The research is a comparative analysis of the poets of different eras therefore, the purpose of the
study is to have a deep insight on the elements which make Keats and Ghani, poets of same
thought and expression. The study will reveal beauty as highly celebrated characteristic of
Romantics, specifically its celebration by John Keats and Ghani khan in their poetry. Moreover,
it will reveal that poetry is the universal language of expressing the same thought in different
context. Both, Keats and Ghani have almost the same feelings but have used different languages
as tools for expression.
1.6 Delimitations
Although there are many similar elements of Romanticism in John Keats and Ghani khan poetry
but, the prime focus of the study is only on the element of beauty. There are several factors
influenced them as Romantics for instance, culture, background, and relationship with nature but
in this study, we will focus on the factors related to their personal life, for example the deaths of
their nuclear family members.
2: Literature Review
Looking at their poetic works, it is easily seen and felt that both these poets are blessed with the
romantic spirit in them. The list of similarities between these two romantic giant poets of
literature of two completely diverse cultures may be very long. Ghani and Keats are similar to a
great extent with few exceptions.
John Keats is essentially a poet of love, beauty, nature and life. Imagination was a chief
characteristic of Keats’ poetry.  He roamed in the realm of imagination by his poetic wings and
they helped him to be a poet of senses, warmth, expression of sensitive emotions and humanistic
feelings. He was also aware of the harsh realities of the world. Similarly, Ghani Khan was a great
romantic Pashto poet. His poetry is an expression of the culture, traditions, civilizations, and
Pushtoons`way of life. Ghani Khan’s romantic bent of mind is fully expressed through the Pashto
language. Like Keats too, Ghani Khan, by his poetic imaginative wings, flies to the world of
ecstasy, he talks of the romantic lands of pleasure, and happiness in palaces, music, beloved,
ecstasy, but he is also aware of the harsh realities of life. Amidst his adoration for love, beauty,
life, and poetry, he is also known to be a Mad Philosopher. Both of these great romantic poets
from East and West are great sources of inspiration for the lovers of literature. Therefore, the
Romantic poems of John Keats and Ghani Khan are some of the most discussed, debated and
argued topics of the previous decades.
According to Main Sha Bacha (2010), Keats and Ghani hold a unique position due to the
contribution they have made to the poetry of English and Pashto respectively. Their love for
beauty and nature is also manifested in their poetry. Despite the fact that they lived in two
different centuries and in different countries with different cultures, they got so many things
similar in their poetry.
Both the poets give expression to feelings and emotions, which can be appealing to everyone of
any age or time or place. In both poets, love goes quite musically, the elements of musicality in
the expression of love in the poetry of both poets is very strong.  They both believed in the
natural expression of poetry (Jan Sher, 2004).
Mr. Nationalist (2009) found that both Keats and Ghani Khan have been found to be similar in so
many ways particularly in their love for Beauty, Nature and Eternity. Their philosophies
regarding a strong relationship between Beauty, Truth and Love is uncanny and intriguing. For in
their eyes Beauty, Truth, and Love all lead to the Eternal.
Dr. Salma Shaheen (2010) adds in the Foreword, " Ghani is a lover of beauty and nature. On the
wings of his imagination, he talks of romantic lands of happiness in palaces, of Laila, Wine,
Masti and Music. But consciously he gives voice to the bitter realities that is why he is called by
numerous nomenclatures like the poet of beauty and love and the Crazy Philosopher."
Dr. Shazia Babar (2005) elaborates in her thesis, " Both Keats and Ghani believed that man could
reach divinity in this life on condition of losing one's selfhood and reach a place of complete
happiness as Keats says:
Wherein lies happiness? In that which becks
Our ready minds to fellowship divine,
A fellowship with essence; till we shine,
Full alchemiz'd, and free of space.
Both Ghani and Keats are romantics of their own time and share similarities in their expression
of love as well as usage of wine as a medium of expression in their poetry. Although both the
poets belonged to different ages and societies, however both the poets hold similarities in many
aspects. Since they both offer articulation to sentiments and feelings, therefore their poetry can
be engaging all the readers of all times. Both Ghani and Keats are incredible romantics from East
and West and this indicates that art is universal and can be compared across national boundaries
(Kasi et al., 2018).
3: Research Methodology
3.1: Research Design
The research design of this study is qualitative in nature. The study requires thorough research
and deep textual analysis. Firstly, it would trace out the important romantic elements of both the
poets. Secondly, a comparison of similarities would be made out of the analysis of both the
poets. This descriptive and thorough research will enable us to make a genuine comparison of the
romantic element of beauty in selected poems of both the poets. It will also lead us to specific
factors that influence them as poets of Romanticism.
3.2: Method of Data Collection
Firstly, in order to know beauty as element of Romanticism in Keats and Ghani poems and
secondly, several factors that made them Romantics, some of them are selected and taken as the
sample from internet. They are Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale and Ode to Autumn
by John Keats, and Face of the Beloved, Flowers and Youth, and Music and Beauty by Ghani
khan with their English translation from ‘The Pilgrim of beauty’ by Imtiaz Ahmad Sahib Zada. In
this research process, the secondary sources are mostly adopted which is open-ended in form of
articles, journals, websites to interpret. The analysis of the poems is conducted regarding beauty
as essential romantic element.
3.3: Data sampling
Data sampling will be done by choosing non-random biased sampling and it is collected by
observation and analysis of the text and its themes. As data is in form of the secondary collection
which is very broader, open-ended, and vast so, it will include specific data. Hence subjective or
purposive sampling will take place.
3.4: Theoretical Framework
As this research aims to study the elements of beauty in John Keats and Ghani Khan poetry so
selected poems of both the poets will be studies to Romantic elements confining it to element of
beauty. In order to bring new dimensions to this specific element, in-depth study of Keats and
Ghani's poems is required. These works are required to be studied in the light of the concept of
Romanticism and how beauty has been portrayed as the most substantial element of their works.

References

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