Introduction:
Mathew Arnold defines culture as "sweetness and light", meaning by "sweetness" appreciation of beauty in all its forms, and by "Light" enlightened intelligence. He spoke of it as "a harmonious perfection, a perfection in which the character of beauty and intelligence are both present." Culture in its true sense of the term is defined as the flavor of civilization that steers the material prosperity of man.
Culture molds pattern of life:
According to Mathew Arnold's view human perfection is attained by culture's ordeal that results in "an inward spiritual activity, having for its character increased sweetness, increased light, increased life, increased sympathy". "Culture", according to some analysts," "means an all round and harmonious development of personality. We have a harmonious and perfected personality when all the faculties of man —intellectual, aesthetic, moral and religions, are adequately developed and refined, and none of these are made to starve." It is also a continuous growth which leads to growing and becoming. It is a study of harmonious perfection. Culture is contact with the best that has been said and thought in the world. Man's nature is a very peculiar thing. Nature once formed takes a life long struggle to be cultured. It is not easy to make this one's primary concern in life as human nature is a very complex thing made up of many elements. True culture implies that these elements must properly be disciplined, so as to produce a balanced temperament, with all excesses subdued and angularities chiselled. A cultured person is one who makes it his main business in life to study perfection and to make it prevail in the affairs of life.
Society and culture:
A society's culture is made up of all of its ideas and ways of behaving. Language, music, ideas about what is bad and good, ways of working and playing, and the tools and other objects made and used by people in the society proving all these are part of a society's culture. As studying a person's different actions is a good way to find, out about that person, studying the important patterns of an entire society is a way to learn about the culture of that group. Patterns of behavior and action vary from individual to individual, class to class, society to society and country to country. These things are referred to as cultural difference. What is an appropriate mode of behavior in one culture might prove in-appropriate or even rude in another culture. For example, when Latin Americans talk to each other, they stand about 18 to 12 inches apart, measured nose to nose. To stand further away from each other while talking seems unfriendly to them. In some- Arab countries too, the proper and polite behavior for a conversation is to be close enough to feel the other person's breath. But, in British or American society, getting so close during a conversation is considered inappropriate.
Conclusion:
Education and leisure pursuits are the basic conditions on which the pursuit of culture depends. If culture is a desirable condition of life, it should be available to all alike. It is essential to create a condition in which education is made free at all ages to ensure leisure to every worker to enable him to enjoy the privileges of culture. Culture and society are in separately related. Culture finds its existence in society and society expresses itself through culture.
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