Mr. Tangen, here are my corrections for the blogs on The Waste Land. The first sentence is the original, incorrect version and the second is the fixed result:
It reminds me of the Geek gods and Titans of the waters, Poseidon, Ocean, Pontus, Nereus, Triton, and Proteus.
It reminds me of the Greek gods and Titans of the waters, Poseidon, Ocean, Pontus, Nereus, Triton, and Proteus.
In this case, the reader only makes very long pauses in the end of stanzas, which are understood as something similar to paragraphs.
In this case, the reader only makes very long pauses at the end of every stanza, which are understood as something similar to paragraphs.
Besides emphasizing important sections, the the speaker accented specific words in each of the verses.
Besides emphasizing important sections, the speaker accented specific words in each of the verses.
jueves, 20 de marzo de 2008
martes, 18 de marzo de 2008
Individuality Sunken Into Oblivion: The Hollow Men, by T. S. Eliot
A title is the first impression a reader receives from a work of literature, somewhat like a summary of the overall meaning of the text. The Hollow Men, a poem by T. S. Eliot, possesses a title that conveys a vast amount of meaning and mystery. Like The Wasteland, The Hollow Men transmits a message of emptiness and vacancy. It makes the reader think about a barren and void humanity, an existence that has no meaning or purpose whatsoever. The fist stanza of the poem emphasizes the significance of the title by mentioning how mankind has succumbed to a state where free will or the ability to construct one’s own thoughts is inexistent.
“We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar” (lines 1-10).
The words “hollow”, “dried voices”, “quiet”, and “meaningless” illustrate human insignificance, or our lack of strength and mental capacity to formulate our own thoughts and ideas. As the poem indicates, our brains, filled with straw, have become useless. Even though mankind makes an effort to unite and act collectively, our quiet whispers are incapable of advocating any change. Our voices, soft as the “wind in dry grass” (line 8), are so miserable and insignificant that they still remain unheard and barren as our hollow minds.
“Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;” (lines 11-12).
As this oxymoron shows, mankind is existent and tangible, like shapes and shades, but lacks the meaning and spark that makes each one of us unique and distinct, such as forms and colors. We live our lives as machines that perform every function necessary to go on living, but do not have the free will necessary to make us different from others. We are indifferent to our personality, and our minds are hollow and meaningless. We prefer to exist as ordinary beings instead of extraordinary individuals.
“And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.” (lines 25-28).
In this stanza, Eliot emphasizes the fact that man’s actions are hollow and insignificant by using the words “distant” and “fading”. Our uniqueness is fading away, becoming more distant every time as our lives loose meaning, purpose, and importance. Eliot portrays us as dead men in a dead man’s land, as individuals who, as the book 1984 says, have lost their essence and uniqueness.
“This is the dead land
This is the cactus land …
The supplication of a dead man’s hand” (lines 39-40, 43).
“The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley” (lines 52-55).
These four lines caught my attention not only because of the repetition of the word hollow, but also because of the metaphorical meaning of eyes. By talking about the absence of eyes, Eliot is referring to the lack of vision present in the world. We are unable to see, observe, or analyze our surroundings, and hence unable to formulate our own thoughts and interpretations of the world and what we see in it. The dying stars represent us, humans, and how their glow, or our individuality and uniqueness, are fading away and becoming a “hollow valley”.
“Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.” (lines 61-67).
Eliot proposes God, or the perpetual star that has always existed since the beginning of times, to be the only solution in order to reestablish human free will and individuality. Religion is “The hope only / Of empty men.” (lines 66-67), the only mechanism of abandoning a barren existence and living as people that have the ability to think in a unique manner.
The Hollow Men is written in free verse with no established meter. Eliot may have chosen this structure in order to symbolize the lack of order in the world; however, I disagree with the overall organization of the poem. I believe that an established rhyme scheme and meter would have structured the poem in such a way as to symbolize the existence of the hollow humanity and how, by behaving like machines, we forget to live as unique, separate individuals with a distinct, free, and un-empty mind. I also wonder why Eliot decided to make an allusion to the children’s song “The Mulberry Bush” at the beginning of the fifth section of the poem. What does this nursery rhyme signify? What exactly does the “prickly pear” represent?
The last couplet of the poem conveys as much meaning as the title.
“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.” (lines 97-98).
The end of the world and of the human race will not be caused by wars, violence, and disasters, as the Book of Revelations suggests, but by our emptiness and our incapability to think, act, or respond, as emphasized earlier on in the poem. We will see things crumble, but we will only lament and whimper as hollow men. Our voices, “quiet and meaningless” (line 7), will be unable to react and we will be forced to succumb to lamentation of the fate that awaits us. I believe that these last couple of lines are trying to advocate change in humans in order to transform our mentality of machines into one in which mankind will be able to react according to what our individual nature indicates, and thus turn away from the hollow existence we are living now.
“We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar” (lines 1-10).
The words “hollow”, “dried voices”, “quiet”, and “meaningless” illustrate human insignificance, or our lack of strength and mental capacity to formulate our own thoughts and ideas. As the poem indicates, our brains, filled with straw, have become useless. Even though mankind makes an effort to unite and act collectively, our quiet whispers are incapable of advocating any change. Our voices, soft as the “wind in dry grass” (line 8), are so miserable and insignificant that they still remain unheard and barren as our hollow minds.
“Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;” (lines 11-12).
As this oxymoron shows, mankind is existent and tangible, like shapes and shades, but lacks the meaning and spark that makes each one of us unique and distinct, such as forms and colors. We live our lives as machines that perform every function necessary to go on living, but do not have the free will necessary to make us different from others. We are indifferent to our personality, and our minds are hollow and meaningless. We prefer to exist as ordinary beings instead of extraordinary individuals.
“And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.” (lines 25-28).
In this stanza, Eliot emphasizes the fact that man’s actions are hollow and insignificant by using the words “distant” and “fading”. Our uniqueness is fading away, becoming more distant every time as our lives loose meaning, purpose, and importance. Eliot portrays us as dead men in a dead man’s land, as individuals who, as the book 1984 says, have lost their essence and uniqueness.
“This is the dead land
This is the cactus land …
The supplication of a dead man’s hand” (lines 39-40, 43).
“The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley” (lines 52-55).
These four lines caught my attention not only because of the repetition of the word hollow, but also because of the metaphorical meaning of eyes. By talking about the absence of eyes, Eliot is referring to the lack of vision present in the world. We are unable to see, observe, or analyze our surroundings, and hence unable to formulate our own thoughts and interpretations of the world and what we see in it. The dying stars represent us, humans, and how their glow, or our individuality and uniqueness, are fading away and becoming a “hollow valley”.
“Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.” (lines 61-67).
Eliot proposes God, or the perpetual star that has always existed since the beginning of times, to be the only solution in order to reestablish human free will and individuality. Religion is “The hope only / Of empty men.” (lines 66-67), the only mechanism of abandoning a barren existence and living as people that have the ability to think in a unique manner.
The Hollow Men is written in free verse with no established meter. Eliot may have chosen this structure in order to symbolize the lack of order in the world; however, I disagree with the overall organization of the poem. I believe that an established rhyme scheme and meter would have structured the poem in such a way as to symbolize the existence of the hollow humanity and how, by behaving like machines, we forget to live as unique, separate individuals with a distinct, free, and un-empty mind. I also wonder why Eliot decided to make an allusion to the children’s song “The Mulberry Bush” at the beginning of the fifth section of the poem. What does this nursery rhyme signify? What exactly does the “prickly pear” represent?
The last couplet of the poem conveys as much meaning as the title.
“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.” (lines 97-98).
The end of the world and of the human race will not be caused by wars, violence, and disasters, as the Book of Revelations suggests, but by our emptiness and our incapability to think, act, or respond, as emphasized earlier on in the poem. We will see things crumble, but we will only lament and whimper as hollow men. Our voices, “quiet and meaningless” (line 7), will be unable to react and we will be forced to succumb to lamentation of the fate that awaits us. I believe that these last couple of lines are trying to advocate change in humans in order to transform our mentality of machines into one in which mankind will be able to react according to what our individual nature indicates, and thus turn away from the hollow existence we are living now.
domingo, 9 de marzo de 2008
If Not For You, I Shall Wear the Bottoms of My Trousers Rolled: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot
T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is nothing close to a love song. It never talks about love or anything related to this feeling, and instead focuses on Alfred Prufrock, the narrator, and his aging and death beside a woman who is merely mentioned. When compared to Bob Dylan’s song “If Not For You”, one would clearly see that these two texts, apart from having a specific rhyme and meter, do not share almost any similarities.
Bob Dylan
“If Not For You”
a If not for you
b Babe, I couldn't even find the door
b I couldn’t even see the floor
a Id be sad and blue, if not for you
a If not for you
c Babe, the night would see me wide awake
c The day would surely have to break
a It would not be new, if not for you
d If not for you, my sky would fall
a Rain would gather, too
d Without your love Id be nowhere at all
a Id be lost, if not for you
a If not for you
e The winter would hold no spring
e Couldn’t hear a robin sing
a I just wouldn’t have a clue, if not for you
d If not for you, my sky would fall
a Rain would gather, too
d Without your love Id be nowhere at all
a Id be lost, if not for you
a If not for you
e The winter would hold no spring
e Couldn’t hear a robin sing
a I just wouldn’t have a clue, if not for you
a If not for you
Bob Dylan’s song, written in iambic form, has a clear-cut rhyme scheme, as every verse rhymes with another verse in the same stanza in an orderly way. Although there is not a constant meter throughout the entire song, one can see that the first and second stanzas have verses with four, nine, eight, and nine syllables, respectively, while the other two stanzas, repeated at the end of the song, have verses with a different amount of syllables. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, on the other hand, has no established meter. Every line has a different number of syllables, which are not organized in an orderly fashion; however, the poem is also written in iambic style. Although there is no constant rhyme scheme, there is rhyme present throughout the stanzas:
“The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.” (lines 15-22).
In both works, there are specific stanzas that are repeated, somewhat like a chorus. These, I believe, very important sections of the text which, like a song, are repeated over and over again in order to make the most impact on the reader. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, however, these stanzas are very random:
“In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.” (lines 13-14 or 35-36).
These do not follow the general flow of the poem, but are rather a sort of parenthesis to the entire work. Unlike If Not For You, where the chorus and the rest of the lyrics unite to form one sole unit, the “chorus” in Eliot’s piece breaks apart from the rest of the verses in order to convey a different idea.
Even though both of these texts share some similarities in structure, they are completely different in describing the significance of love and women. In Bob Dylan’s song, the woman he loves is a basic need in his life. Without her, “Id be nowhere at all / Id be lost, if not for you.” (lines 11-12). In this song, the woman is necessary in order to continue living. She is the essence of Bob Dylan’s existence, somewhat like the pillar on which his thoughts, emotions, and actions rest. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, love for a woman is never preached. Its title, unlike If Not For You, has nothing to do with love or the significance of a special woman in Prufrock’s life. It actually talks more about Prufrock and his life than the woman he supposedly loves:
“I grow old… I grow old…
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” (lines 120-121)
Since this poem never actually talks about a woman, it is not clear whether Prufrock really loves her or not; however, one can notice that Alfred Prufrock is not completely dependent on the woman, like Bob Dylan. Instead, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock seems to talk more about the passage of time and death, moments which are always spent beside a woman that is seldom mentioned.
“And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker
And in short, I was afraid…
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” (lines 85-86, 131).
Whether Prufrock does not love the woman or simply decides to express his affection for her in a different way is not clear; however, one can see that Eliot decided to break away from the normal guidelines and patterns that are constantly seen in love songs.
Bob Dylan
“If Not For You”
a If not for you
b Babe, I couldn't even find the door
b I couldn’t even see the floor
a Id be sad and blue, if not for you
a If not for you
c Babe, the night would see me wide awake
c The day would surely have to break
a It would not be new, if not for you
d If not for you, my sky would fall
a Rain would gather, too
d Without your love Id be nowhere at all
a Id be lost, if not for you
a If not for you
e The winter would hold no spring
e Couldn’t hear a robin sing
a I just wouldn’t have a clue, if not for you
d If not for you, my sky would fall
a Rain would gather, too
d Without your love Id be nowhere at all
a Id be lost, if not for you
a If not for you
e The winter would hold no spring
e Couldn’t hear a robin sing
a I just wouldn’t have a clue, if not for you
a If not for you
Bob Dylan’s song, written in iambic form, has a clear-cut rhyme scheme, as every verse rhymes with another verse in the same stanza in an orderly way. Although there is not a constant meter throughout the entire song, one can see that the first and second stanzas have verses with four, nine, eight, and nine syllables, respectively, while the other two stanzas, repeated at the end of the song, have verses with a different amount of syllables. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, on the other hand, has no established meter. Every line has a different number of syllables, which are not organized in an orderly fashion; however, the poem is also written in iambic style. Although there is no constant rhyme scheme, there is rhyme present throughout the stanzas:
“The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.” (lines 15-22).
In both works, there are specific stanzas that are repeated, somewhat like a chorus. These, I believe, very important sections of the text which, like a song, are repeated over and over again in order to make the most impact on the reader. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, however, these stanzas are very random:
“In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.” (lines 13-14 or 35-36).
These do not follow the general flow of the poem, but are rather a sort of parenthesis to the entire work. Unlike If Not For You, where the chorus and the rest of the lyrics unite to form one sole unit, the “chorus” in Eliot’s piece breaks apart from the rest of the verses in order to convey a different idea.
Even though both of these texts share some similarities in structure, they are completely different in describing the significance of love and women. In Bob Dylan’s song, the woman he loves is a basic need in his life. Without her, “Id be nowhere at all / Id be lost, if not for you.” (lines 11-12). In this song, the woman is necessary in order to continue living. She is the essence of Bob Dylan’s existence, somewhat like the pillar on which his thoughts, emotions, and actions rest. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, love for a woman is never preached. Its title, unlike If Not For You, has nothing to do with love or the significance of a special woman in Prufrock’s life. It actually talks more about Prufrock and his life than the woman he supposedly loves:
“I grow old… I grow old…
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” (lines 120-121)
Since this poem never actually talks about a woman, it is not clear whether Prufrock really loves her or not; however, one can notice that Alfred Prufrock is not completely dependent on the woman, like Bob Dylan. Instead, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock seems to talk more about the passage of time and death, moments which are always spent beside a woman that is seldom mentioned.
“And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker
And in short, I was afraid…
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” (lines 85-86, 131).
Whether Prufrock does not love the woman or simply decides to express his affection for her in a different way is not clear; however, one can see that Eliot decided to break away from the normal guidelines and patterns that are constantly seen in love songs.
jueves, 6 de marzo de 2008
Gods, Shakespeare, and Hell: The Wasteland, sections Three and Four
Sections three and four of The Wasteland, titled The Fire Sermon and Death By Water, possess many allusions that, although obvious, are only distinguishable once you read the poem for the second or third time. The titles of both of these sections, for example, are references to well-known places or people. The Fire Sermon makes reference to Jonathan Edwards, the famous revival preacher of the First Great Awakening. Edwards always preached sermons that talked about human condemnation in a wrathful, burning hell. The Fire Sermon, therefore, makes an allusion to Edwards’ speeches about “sinners in the hands of an angry God”, burning and withering in hell.
Line 175 of the poem makes an allusion to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The words “The nymphs are departed” make me remember Titania, who used to own many fairy servants she dispatched every time she talked to Oberon. T. S. Eliot, therefore, makes an allusion to Shakespeare, the famous English playwright.
Besides making allusions to English-speaking characters, Eliot also made allusions to Greek mythology. “I who have sat by Thebes below the wall lovers” (line 244) reminds me of the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, in which these two lovers were separated by a wall. I wonder why Eliot would choose to talk about a tale of two lovers in a poem such as The Waste Land, a text with a very pessimistic mood. If Eliot is trying to preach the purposelessness of life, why does he make an allusion to two characters who actually have the motivation in life to find love?
On the following line, Eliot talks about hell once again. The verse “And walked among the lowest of the dead.” (line 245) makes an allusion to Dante, the voyager, in his work Inferno. Here, Dante and Virgil, another Roman poet, make a voyage through each of the nine circles of hell, walking “among the lowest of the dead”. This allusion is probably one of the clearest references to a well-known person in the text, as it focuses on the mayor theme of a work of literature and not on the small details, such as those mentioned previously when I talked about the allusion to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The words “O Lord Thou pluckest me out”, in lines 309 and 310, make a very clear allusion to the Judeo-Christian Bible, especially because of the use of old-English present in this verse and throughout the KJB. This line reminds me of the Old Testament, where characters used to appeal directly to God and talk to him as if he was a normal person.
Finally, the title of the fourth section, Death By Water, is also an allusion to a well-known individual. It reminds me of the Greek gods and Titans of the waters, Poseidon, Ocean, Pontus, Nereus, Triton, and Proteus. The Greeks used to believe that natural disasters were attributed to the gods, who dominated a specific area of the universe. The death of Phlebeas, the Phoenician sailor in this fourth section, makes an allusion to these Greek figures, masters of the seas.
Line 175 of the poem makes an allusion to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The words “The nymphs are departed” make me remember Titania, who used to own many fairy servants she dispatched every time she talked to Oberon. T. S. Eliot, therefore, makes an allusion to Shakespeare, the famous English playwright.
Besides making allusions to English-speaking characters, Eliot also made allusions to Greek mythology. “I who have sat by Thebes below the wall lovers” (line 244) reminds me of the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, in which these two lovers were separated by a wall. I wonder why Eliot would choose to talk about a tale of two lovers in a poem such as The Waste Land, a text with a very pessimistic mood. If Eliot is trying to preach the purposelessness of life, why does he make an allusion to two characters who actually have the motivation in life to find love?
On the following line, Eliot talks about hell once again. The verse “And walked among the lowest of the dead.” (line 245) makes an allusion to Dante, the voyager, in his work Inferno. Here, Dante and Virgil, another Roman poet, make a voyage through each of the nine circles of hell, walking “among the lowest of the dead”. This allusion is probably one of the clearest references to a well-known person in the text, as it focuses on the mayor theme of a work of literature and not on the small details, such as those mentioned previously when I talked about the allusion to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The words “O Lord Thou pluckest me out”, in lines 309 and 310, make a very clear allusion to the Judeo-Christian Bible, especially because of the use of old-English present in this verse and throughout the KJB. This line reminds me of the Old Testament, where characters used to appeal directly to God and talk to him as if he was a normal person.
Finally, the title of the fourth section, Death By Water, is also an allusion to a well-known individual. It reminds me of the Greek gods and Titans of the waters, Poseidon, Ocean, Pontus, Nereus, Triton, and Proteus. The Greeks used to believe that natural disasters were attributed to the gods, who dominated a specific area of the universe. The death of Phlebeas, the Phoenician sailor in this fourth section, makes an allusion to these Greek figures, masters of the seas.
miércoles, 5 de marzo de 2008
The Oral Significance of Poetry: The Waste Land read by a different speaker at http://librivox.org/the-waste-land-by-t-s-eliot/.
Many times, when we read a certain text, we forget to grasp the essential details the author subtly includes throughout the lines. When someone reads a piece of poetry for the first time, they generally accent different words or phrases than the author. Every time I read a poem, I pause in between verses in order to interpret each of these phrases as a single, independent unit; however, when I listened to a different speaker read the T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, I discovered that he does not make any pauses in between verses and reads the entire stanza as a sentence. In this case, the reader only makes very long pauses at the end of every stanza, which are understood as something similar to paragraphs. This makes the poem a lot easier to understand, as the speaker made The Waste Land sound like a story, where the verses converged to form a series of clauses that together conveyed more meaning than each of the verses alone.
In order to emphasize the meaning of certain fragments of the poem, the speaker accented several words that, as one may understand, are crucial to understanding the author’s purpose in writing this piece. For example, I noticed that the speaker focused attention on the sixteenth line of the poem, a verse that I had never really paid attention to when I had read the poem to myself. “In the mountains, there you feel free.” (line 16), may conceal a vast significance that may be crucial to understanding the message of the poem. Mountains in general, especially snowy ones, are isolated placed where there is infrequent human activity. Eliot may be trying to say, therefore, that humans may only be free when they are distant from civilization and its evils; thus, it is understood that T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is condemning mankind and everything associated with it.
Besides emphasizing important sections, the speaker accented specific words in each of the verses. For example, in lines twenty-six to thirty, the reader emphasized a series of words, which are showed in capital letter in the following example:
“And I will show you something DIFFERENT from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you FEAR in a handful of DUST.” (lines 26-30).
This makes the poem a lot easier to understand while simultaneously establishing the mood of the piece. The words “fear” and “dust” make tone of The Waste Land negative and pessimistic. The mood of the poem is one of the most important elements to understanding the meaning of the poem as a whole. If I had accented different words when I read the piece to myself, such as “show”, “morning”, and “rising”, I might have thought that T.S. Eliot was trying to convey a message of happiness and discovery instead one of misery and hopelessness.
In order to emphasize the meaning of certain fragments of the poem, the speaker accented several words that, as one may understand, are crucial to understanding the author’s purpose in writing this piece. For example, I noticed that the speaker focused attention on the sixteenth line of the poem, a verse that I had never really paid attention to when I had read the poem to myself. “In the mountains, there you feel free.” (line 16), may conceal a vast significance that may be crucial to understanding the message of the poem. Mountains in general, especially snowy ones, are isolated placed where there is infrequent human activity. Eliot may be trying to say, therefore, that humans may only be free when they are distant from civilization and its evils; thus, it is understood that T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is condemning mankind and everything associated with it.
Besides emphasizing important sections, the speaker accented specific words in each of the verses. For example, in lines twenty-six to thirty, the reader emphasized a series of words, which are showed in capital letter in the following example:
“And I will show you something DIFFERENT from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you FEAR in a handful of DUST.” (lines 26-30).
This makes the poem a lot easier to understand while simultaneously establishing the mood of the piece. The words “fear” and “dust” make tone of The Waste Land negative and pessimistic. The mood of the poem is one of the most important elements to understanding the meaning of the poem as a whole. If I had accented different words when I read the piece to myself, such as “show”, “morning”, and “rising”, I might have thought that T.S. Eliot was trying to convey a message of happiness and discovery instead one of misery and hopelessness.
lunes, 3 de marzo de 2008
Life Is A Game of Chess: The Waste Land, sections I and II
When you read a poem for the second time, not only are you able to grasp its meaning better, but pay attention to all the small details. The first time I read The Waste Land I was only able to comprehend the main idea and some literary devices and symbols used throughout the poem; however, when I read its first two sections for the second time I noticed that, already knowing the general meaning, I could now focus on the smaller details with more ease.
I still agree with the ideas I expressed in my previous entry which, as I can see now, are actually a little vague. I mentioned how the modern man was lost in a world that, apparently, seemed to have no meaning. As I read section II, A Game of Chess, I realized how T.S. Eliot contrasted the lives of the rich and the poor:
“From satin cases poured in rich profusion;
In vials of ivory and coloured glass…
‘What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
‘I never know what you are thinking. Think.’… (lines 86-87, 113-114)
The setting in which this excerpt takes place is a rich person’s home. The reader can observe that, at the end, a character questions the thoughts of another individual, but is unable to decipher what he/she is thinking. The excerpt concludes with the word “Think”. I believe that this may actually be an appeal to the reader, telling him to think about the world, about his fate, about the purpose of life in a crippled and destroyed earth. A similar tone of despair and disillusionment is present when Eliot talks about the poor. I believe that he may be suggesting that all of us inhabit a world that has no conscience.
I also paid attention to the titles of the sections, especially that of section II, A Game of Chess. This actually reminds me of the film The Seventh Seal, in which the chess game symbolizes the game of life. I believe that by using this symbol, Eliot is trying to invoke a feeling of apprehension in us, the readers to try to make us reflect about the way we are living our lives.
I also noticed that there are many more literary devices that Eliot uses in a very subtle manner but which manage to have a great impact on the reader. For example, on line five Eliot juxtaposes the ideas of winter and warmth. Later on, in lines twenty-for and twenty-five, he repeats the words “red rock”, an alliteration. These objects represent real-life situations that, in one way or another, condemn man to a meaningless existence. In lines fifty and fifty-five, he uses symbols like the wheel and the ring to represent life and its cyclical structure. He may be trying to emphasize that life repeats itself, and that the events that are occurring now or that have occurred in the past will certainly occur again in the future. Eliot may be trying to say that, independent of what we do to preserve peace and order, wars will always occur; therefore, a macabre and pessimistic view of life is obtained, complemented by the imagery and word choice of the entire poem. In line sixty-seven, Eliot mentioned the “…dead sound on the final stroke of nine.” This allusion makes reference to Dante’s Inferno, probably suggesting that the end and eternal pain are near.
These literary devices, along with the rhyme and meter of the poem, manage to create a special effect on the reader. I did not notice any sort of rhyme throughout the poem, except in lines eleven through sixteen, written in iambic pentameter:
a “Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
a And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s,
b My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
c And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
b Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
c In the mountains, there you feel free.” (lines 11-16).
I wonder why, out of all the lines in the poem, Eliot decided to make these rhyme. Are they significant in some way? Do they conceal any hidden meaning?
I still agree with the ideas I expressed in my previous entry which, as I can see now, are actually a little vague. I mentioned how the modern man was lost in a world that, apparently, seemed to have no meaning. As I read section II, A Game of Chess, I realized how T.S. Eliot contrasted the lives of the rich and the poor:
“From satin cases poured in rich profusion;
In vials of ivory and coloured glass…
‘What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
‘I never know what you are thinking. Think.’… (lines 86-87, 113-114)
The setting in which this excerpt takes place is a rich person’s home. The reader can observe that, at the end, a character questions the thoughts of another individual, but is unable to decipher what he/she is thinking. The excerpt concludes with the word “Think”. I believe that this may actually be an appeal to the reader, telling him to think about the world, about his fate, about the purpose of life in a crippled and destroyed earth. A similar tone of despair and disillusionment is present when Eliot talks about the poor. I believe that he may be suggesting that all of us inhabit a world that has no conscience.
I also paid attention to the titles of the sections, especially that of section II, A Game of Chess. This actually reminds me of the film The Seventh Seal, in which the chess game symbolizes the game of life. I believe that by using this symbol, Eliot is trying to invoke a feeling of apprehension in us, the readers to try to make us reflect about the way we are living our lives.
I also noticed that there are many more literary devices that Eliot uses in a very subtle manner but which manage to have a great impact on the reader. For example, on line five Eliot juxtaposes the ideas of winter and warmth. Later on, in lines twenty-for and twenty-five, he repeats the words “red rock”, an alliteration. These objects represent real-life situations that, in one way or another, condemn man to a meaningless existence. In lines fifty and fifty-five, he uses symbols like the wheel and the ring to represent life and its cyclical structure. He may be trying to emphasize that life repeats itself, and that the events that are occurring now or that have occurred in the past will certainly occur again in the future. Eliot may be trying to say that, independent of what we do to preserve peace and order, wars will always occur; therefore, a macabre and pessimistic view of life is obtained, complemented by the imagery and word choice of the entire poem. In line sixty-seven, Eliot mentioned the “…dead sound on the final stroke of nine.” This allusion makes reference to Dante’s Inferno, probably suggesting that the end and eternal pain are near.
These literary devices, along with the rhyme and meter of the poem, manage to create a special effect on the reader. I did not notice any sort of rhyme throughout the poem, except in lines eleven through sixteen, written in iambic pentameter:
a “Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
a And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s,
b My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
c And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
b Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
c In the mountains, there you feel free.” (lines 11-16).
I wonder why, out of all the lines in the poem, Eliot decided to make these rhyme. Are they significant in some way? Do they conceal any hidden meaning?
domingo, 2 de marzo de 2008
Neither Living Nor Dead: The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
T. S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land conveys the modern man lost in a world that appears to have no meaning:
“Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water.” (lines 20-23).
Not only is this poem long and difficult, but like other utopia/dystopia texts, it portrays a society that is crumbling over. In my opinion, T.S. Eliot uses the symbolism of a crippled and ruined nature to refer to the modern world. The pessimistic tone of the poem contributes make the reader feel depressed and lost in a meaningless world. Like Kurt Vonnegut, Eliot is trying to appeal to society in order to promote change. Submerged in a world of confusion following the wars, T. S. Eliot, like most other authors mentioned, is expressing his feelings of hopelessness in a meaningless world. I believe that this is the reason why the author uses different languages throughout the poem.
“Frisch weht der Wind
Der Heimat zu
Mein Irisch Kind,
Wo weilest du?...
Quando fiam ceu chelidon-O swallow swallow
Le Prince d’Aquitaine á la tour abolie…
Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.” (lines 31-34, 428-429, 432).
Employing a variety of languages makes the reader feel confused in a disoriented world that has no apparent purpose. It actually reminds me of the tower of Babel, which led to the creation of the languages of the world and subsequent confusion and separation of the people. Maybe Eliot makes references to this Biblical event to try to express his grievances against the wars that occur in the modern world and how these have created absurd divisions and enmities among countries.
I also noticed that, in order to make his point, Eliot uses a pessimistic style throughout each of the five sections of the poem. Many of these verses make reference to nature and the devastation of man.
“I will show you fear in a handful of dust” (line 30)
This line caused a great impact on me not only because of the great use of imagery, but also because of the strength its words possess. This is a great example of “le mot juste”. I also noticed that, by making references to Genesis, Eliot is implying that the handful of dust is really man. The sentence “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” is really saying “I will show you fear in mankind”. T.S. Eliot is therefore portraying a devastated humanity which, apparently, lives in a world of constant dread, emptiness, and nothingness.
T. S. Eliot uses various literary devices to convey his ideas. For example, in lines 140, 167, and 168, the phrase “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME” was repeated. Besides, it was written in capital letters. I believe that by the use of these literary devices, Eliot is trying to emphasize the figurative meaning of these words. “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME” may not be a message to Lil, but to humanity in general.
Like many of the works we’ve studied this year, The Waste Land is an allegory. The stories of other people’s lives are actually reflecting the reality of our world and our lives in the same way that nature represents destruction. In section V, What the Thunder Said, Eliot makes references to water. He talks about a barren landscape and the absence of water.
“If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock” (verses 346-351)
It is important to notice how short verses and repetition emphasize the word “water”. I believe water can either symbolize life or, in a more Biblical approach, the loss of faith. I remember that the Gospels talked about how Jesus’ faith led him to be able to walk on water. The absence of this liquid, therefore, may symbolize the absence of faith and hope. Thus, this excerpt is also tied to the underlying theme of the poem: the existence of man in a world that apparently has no meaning or purpose.
These ideas of disillusionment and disorderliness are further conveyed in the rhyme scheme of The Waste Land. Although the length of the lines varied, I discovered that the entire poem is written in iambic pentameter; however, there is no pattern in the use of accented and unaccented syllables, either (NOTE: the capitalize syllables are accented and those in lowercase are unaccented):
“APril IS the CRUElest MONTH, BREEding
LIlacs OUT of THE dead LAND, MIxing
MEmory AND deSIRE, STIRring…” (lines 1-3).
By repeating two accented syllables, interrupted by a comma, Eliot emphasizes each of the verbs. The pause and the interruption of the iambic pentameter highlight the importance of the words “breeding”, “mixing”, and “stirring”.
The only place in which I found a brief rhyme scheme was at the beginning of section V:
a “AfTER the TORCHlight RED on SWEAty Faces
b AfTER the FROSty Silence IN the GARdens
a AfTER the AgoNY in STOny PLAces…” (lines 222-224).
All of these lines have 11 syllables; however, I do not think that this orderliness has any figurative meaning. I think that by using a constant pattern, Eliot manages to emphasize the words “After the”, repeated at the beginning of each verse. If these lines did not have the same number of syllables, the entire effect the repetition causes on the reader would be destroyed.
It is amazing how every little detail in The Waste Land is aimed at trying to portray a devastated, meaningless world. The use of language, rhyme, symbolism, and other literary devices manages to create an effect on the reader that, along with the pessimistic mood of the text, makes the him/her question themselves about their existence. Our universe, as depicted by T.S. Eliot, is barren, insignificant, hollow, meaningless, "neither living nor dead". (lines 39-40).
“Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water.” (lines 20-23).
Not only is this poem long and difficult, but like other utopia/dystopia texts, it portrays a society that is crumbling over. In my opinion, T.S. Eliot uses the symbolism of a crippled and ruined nature to refer to the modern world. The pessimistic tone of the poem contributes make the reader feel depressed and lost in a meaningless world. Like Kurt Vonnegut, Eliot is trying to appeal to society in order to promote change. Submerged in a world of confusion following the wars, T. S. Eliot, like most other authors mentioned, is expressing his feelings of hopelessness in a meaningless world. I believe that this is the reason why the author uses different languages throughout the poem.
“Frisch weht der Wind
Der Heimat zu
Mein Irisch Kind,
Wo weilest du?...
Quando fiam ceu chelidon-O swallow swallow
Le Prince d’Aquitaine á la tour abolie…
Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.” (lines 31-34, 428-429, 432).
Employing a variety of languages makes the reader feel confused in a disoriented world that has no apparent purpose. It actually reminds me of the tower of Babel, which led to the creation of the languages of the world and subsequent confusion and separation of the people. Maybe Eliot makes references to this Biblical event to try to express his grievances against the wars that occur in the modern world and how these have created absurd divisions and enmities among countries.
I also noticed that, in order to make his point, Eliot uses a pessimistic style throughout each of the five sections of the poem. Many of these verses make reference to nature and the devastation of man.
“I will show you fear in a handful of dust” (line 30)
This line caused a great impact on me not only because of the great use of imagery, but also because of the strength its words possess. This is a great example of “le mot juste”. I also noticed that, by making references to Genesis, Eliot is implying that the handful of dust is really man. The sentence “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” is really saying “I will show you fear in mankind”. T.S. Eliot is therefore portraying a devastated humanity which, apparently, lives in a world of constant dread, emptiness, and nothingness.
T. S. Eliot uses various literary devices to convey his ideas. For example, in lines 140, 167, and 168, the phrase “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME” was repeated. Besides, it was written in capital letters. I believe that by the use of these literary devices, Eliot is trying to emphasize the figurative meaning of these words. “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME” may not be a message to Lil, but to humanity in general.
Like many of the works we’ve studied this year, The Waste Land is an allegory. The stories of other people’s lives are actually reflecting the reality of our world and our lives in the same way that nature represents destruction. In section V, What the Thunder Said, Eliot makes references to water. He talks about a barren landscape and the absence of water.
“If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock” (verses 346-351)
It is important to notice how short verses and repetition emphasize the word “water”. I believe water can either symbolize life or, in a more Biblical approach, the loss of faith. I remember that the Gospels talked about how Jesus’ faith led him to be able to walk on water. The absence of this liquid, therefore, may symbolize the absence of faith and hope. Thus, this excerpt is also tied to the underlying theme of the poem: the existence of man in a world that apparently has no meaning or purpose.
These ideas of disillusionment and disorderliness are further conveyed in the rhyme scheme of The Waste Land. Although the length of the lines varied, I discovered that the entire poem is written in iambic pentameter; however, there is no pattern in the use of accented and unaccented syllables, either (NOTE: the capitalize syllables are accented and those in lowercase are unaccented):
“APril IS the CRUElest MONTH, BREEding
LIlacs OUT of THE dead LAND, MIxing
MEmory AND deSIRE, STIRring…” (lines 1-3).
By repeating two accented syllables, interrupted by a comma, Eliot emphasizes each of the verbs. The pause and the interruption of the iambic pentameter highlight the importance of the words “breeding”, “mixing”, and “stirring”.
The only place in which I found a brief rhyme scheme was at the beginning of section V:
a “AfTER the TORCHlight RED on SWEAty Faces
b AfTER the FROSty Silence IN the GARdens
a AfTER the AgoNY in STOny PLAces…” (lines 222-224).
All of these lines have 11 syllables; however, I do not think that this orderliness has any figurative meaning. I think that by using a constant pattern, Eliot manages to emphasize the words “After the”, repeated at the beginning of each verse. If these lines did not have the same number of syllables, the entire effect the repetition causes on the reader would be destroyed.
It is amazing how every little detail in The Waste Land is aimed at trying to portray a devastated, meaningless world. The use of language, rhyme, symbolism, and other literary devices manages to create an effect on the reader that, along with the pessimistic mood of the text, makes the him/her question themselves about their existence. Our universe, as depicted by T.S. Eliot, is barren, insignificant, hollow, meaningless, "neither living nor dead". (lines 39-40).
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)
