For the more languages a man can speak ,
His talent has sprung but the greater leak;
And , for the industry he has spent upon’t,
Must full as much some other way discount……
#Butler
In this poem the poet wishes to express that the people who are Literate and have read many books, have a general understanding of the things around them are the very same people who can’t keep their senses open.
Throughout our long/short lifespan we read many books. Some of them are academic in nature while he others are fictitious and meant for recreation. Some are social commentaries and non-fiction ; offering a serving of realism before supper.
The main drawback of reading a book is as a matter of fact –reading it. I mean you actually don’t step into the shoes of the author to see what he saw and feel what he felt. You are to conform what others think of the work at social gatherings. If by perchance you proposed an alternate interpretation; you are bound to be excluded; more often than not.
While reading a book, you are swept away by the author’s viewpoint vis-à-vis getting entangles in the subtle ups and downs in his narrative or descriptive style. You fail to see the core idea of the work at some point while going through the book.
It is not just limited to books. Take twitter for example. There are some God-forsaken people who build a reputation of being a troll; opining on every single renowned person’s updates. If just opining could set you up as an intellectual ; Rakhi Sawant would be at NASA , telling them to play her item song—which are the BOMB , and will provide the required thrust for a Shuttle to take flight.
You'd have a much easier day making a beggar letting go of his bowl , rather than making an academic leave his book alone and actually witness the world that he was reading about with his myopic eyes. They fear contempt from their family , friends and subordinates ; so much that their whole life has been reduced to a puppet show. But the show will one day stop in its tracks when the Puppeteers end up entangling the chords ; as one wanted the marionette to go right and the other to the left.
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