Culture and Anarchy-Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold is best known as a poet as well critic and novelist also during the Victorian era. His excellence lies in the Social and political critique through his work. Culture and Anarchy is a Periodical essay published during 1867-68 in Cornhill Magazine and letter collected as a book in 1869. Preface is also added after 6 years of book in 1875. The whole essay is divided into six part plus Introduction and Conclusion. Six parts are as following…

1.	Preface
2.	Preamble:What is Culture
3.	Chapter 1. Sweetness and Light
4.	Chapter 2. Doing as one Likes-Anarchy
5.	Chapter 3. Barbarians, Philistines, Populace
6.	Chapter 4. Hebraism and Hellenism
7.	Chapter 5. Porro Unum est Neccessarium
8.	Chapter 6. Our Liberal Practitioners

So let's have  a look on an each and every separate part of his essay and try to bring out some important key-points to Understand Arnold's essay on Culture.

Concept of Culture

Key Points	Description
Solution of Every Difficulty	According to Arnold study of culture can help to get rid of every present problems. As it is said that the 'Culture is the best which has been thought and said in the world. So culture is the study of past and by getting knowledge of past we can point out some fresh and new ideas which we followed mechanically without thinking whether it is right or wrong. We followed culture staunchly and mechanically, by imagining that it is virtue to follow culture so culture became an inward operation.
Study of Perfection	By Study of culture we can get general perfection, not individual because everyone has their own perspective. According to religion "The Kingdom of God is within you," So we can develop all sides of Humanities and ultimately got perfection in broader and simple sense. There is endless growth and beauty in it and Culture also consists to becoming something instead of having something.
Arnold a believer in Culture	Arnold himself is believer in culture try to find some causes like what culture can do? Why we need culture and what culture can do for us? On the grounds of Faith in Culture he finds two reasons…. 1) Our own faith in it and  2) Faith of others on culture.

Culture - Sweetness and Light

Key Points	Description
Concept of Sweetness and Light	Culture is the study of perfection and perfection include character of beauty and intelligence in it. So perfection is sum up of two noblest thing which is remarked in the book of Jonathan Swift "The Battle of the Books,... "The two noblest of things, Sweetness and Light"
Honey and Honey wax	Honeybee suck the juices from different flowers and by mingling it honey is created which is sweet and liked by everyone. In the same manner culture who seeks knowledge from different fields and gather it in one group and try to get perfection. Honey has wax which is also useful to make Candles so it also spread light everywhere like culture share knowledge with all which is collected from every department so it is not narrow minded. So on the path to get perfection culture is also seeks for sweetness and light.
Greatness	Greatness is a spiritual condition which can be get by love, interest and admiration. But, During the time of Matthew Arnold there is explosion of Industrial revolution which leads to materialist rather than humanity. So according to Arnold greatness lies in humanity, to sustain love and admiration in people.

What is Anarchy in Society?

Key points	Description
Liberty leads to Anarchy	Danger of the Anarchy is people will do whatever they want. Doing as one likes became anti-social activity because it leads to chaos in society. Then Liberty of individual become an open licence to do unusual activity which leads to Anarchy. A nation became without any power and authority and people can do whatever the would like. Because of Anarchy culture became to blind towards existing evils in a society and Culture became market which is full of foolish activity. So what Arnold wants to say is that before act one should think, what is right and wrong.
Personal Liberty	Advancement of industrialization lead to people to do as one likes. And again this freedom of doing what one likes, may be happy and best thing for man but it brings chaos in society. So liberty can became political misunderstanding and end with an Anarchy. So very idea of Personal Liberty is practices in British Constitution, so Shift from personal liberty to anarchy is very genuine.
Personal Liberty-Two Sides in Politics	Working class and middle class people are like do what they like and this leads to Chaos and anarchy in society. And Middle class people are mass so it is hard to neglect the Majority. Arnold says that this people are connected with bad activity and narrow mindedness make their area limited. So to control those kinds of people there is a need of a rules and regulations otherwise it can be resulted in disaster. And Aristocrat remain privileged over middle class. If people became aware about their rights then they started coming on roads and stand against the So called Aristocratic class. So personal liberty bring consciousness in middle class that they are exploited by Barbarians and resulted in to riots and violent disturbance in society.

Barbarians, Philistines, Populace

Key Points	Description
Defect in these three Classes	The defect in Aristocratic society is that they lack the kind of courage to resistance. Middle class people are busy with industrialization and making money. And Populace working class people are exploited by Middle class and Aristocrat.
Barbarians, Philistines, Populace	Barbarians-Aristocrat inherited power. They have their personal individualism and choices more concerns about fashion and showoff. Philistines are also known as middle class people who are are brings economic growth, progress and prosperity. They are money minded people. Populace are working class people who are suffering from poverty and ay bottom level they exploited by other two class. By gaining the consciousness about their own right they started coming on roads for rallies.

Hebraism and Hellenism

Key Points - Hebraism and Hellenism

                      Reformation and Renaissance

                      Perfection - Final Aim

"The best man is who most tries to perfect himself and the Happiest man is he who most feels that he is perfecting himself."

Porro Unum Est Necessarium

Key Points - 

•  One thing is Necessary
•  Balance between Hebraism  and Hellenism
• Prepared to fight against the diseased spirit of cultivated time