The Waste Land By Eliot - 1870 Words

‘It is obvious that we hear many voices in The Waste Land, less clear that what we hear is the voice of someone.’ Discuss. In this essay, I am going to argue that in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, we do hear many voices, but they are not the voice of an identifiable person, and that is entirely clear. Furthermore, it is not problematic that the reader is unable to identify a single speaker, as the distance that is created between the poem and the reader is a stylistic choice made by the poet. One of the sole functions of The Waste Land is to problematise the status quo. In being unable to identify a single, all-encompassing and consistent authorial voice or poetic persona, as is possible in most poetry pre-dating The Waste Land, Eliot actively makes reading the poem an uncomfortable experience, as â€Å"we are plunged into the middle of the modern urban world with its multitudes of faceless individuals.† It is this defamiliarisation which contributes to The Waste Land being viewed as the epitome of modernist writing – even being given the label of â€Å"high modernism.† Most of Eliot’s poems are transitional works, formed as a product of tumultuous events occurring in his life. It is widely noted that Gerontion coincides with what many agree was the â€Å"worst year of his [Eliot’s] life.† As is inherent in transitional work due to the resulting personal development which accompanies such periods of change in one’s life, there are several voices present. At times, these voices areShow MoreRelatedThe Waste Land By. Eliot1134 Words   |  5 PagesThe Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot, is a journey through the arid, unproductive modern world. This poem was written post World War I when the world was still recovering. Evidence of the war could still be seen. The ground was still battle worn, and man still broken of spiritual guidance. This current state of being is what fueled Eliot’s writing. Through the poem, he connects the conditions of modern society to an infertile world void of water and spirituality. Despite the dese rt-like setting, there areRead MoreTs Eliot the Waste Land3186 Words   |  13 PagesJessica Joy T.S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Waste Land† Final Paper Eliot imparts to us the Grail quest’s influence on â€Å"The Waste Land† in the notes: â€Å"Not only the title, but the plan and a good deal of the incidental symbolism of the poem were suggested by Miss Jessie L. Weston’s book on the Grail legend: From Ritual to Romance (Macmillan). Indeed, so deeply am I indebted, Miss Weston’s book will elucidate the difficulties of the poem much better than my notes can do; and I recommend it (apartRead MoreEliot s The Waste Land998 Words   |  4 PagesIn T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, the use of multiple speakers and both obvious and obscure references are techniques utilized to condemn the culture around him at the time in which he was living. His pretentious criticism of this disconnected, immoral, and uneducated society allows us to see that Eliot values unity, morality, and a quality education in a way that the people around him do not. Eliot uses a substantial amount of fragmentation in The Waste Land to symbolize the brokenness of the societyRead MoreEliot s The Waste Land1798 Words   |  8 PagesEliot’s â€Å"The Waste Land† was written to seek order in a disturbed world. Eliot’s publication caused a significant impact on modern society and the literary world. Initially, the poem seems to be incoherent and fragmented; after readers have observed his poem, they are able to recognize Eliot’s brilliantly unique and nontraditional use of techniques. His unconventional style, graphic imagery, and sheer inconsistency of the poem has greatly mystified and fascinated readers. While Eliot was writing â€Å"TheRead MoreThe Waste Land by T. S. Eliot2649 Words   |  11 Pages A wasteland [weyst-land] is defined as: land that is uncultivated or barren; an area that is devastated as by flood, storm, or war; something as a period of history, phase of existence, or locality that is spiritually, o r intellectually barren; one of the most important poems of the twentieth century (Dictionary.com). The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot, has puzzled its audience and been tossed aside by the general population since 1922, when the poem was published. To a reader not committed to delvingRead MoreThe Waste Land by T.S. Eliot Essay1522 Words   |  7 PagesThe Waste Land, a 434-line modernist poem by T.S. Eliot revolves around a world of what seems to be chaotic and dead, and led by a single protagonist. Throughout The Waste Land, there are many uses of symbolism with tarot cards, astrology, and especially the game of chess: The game of chess is such a meaningful symbol throughout the story, that metaphors are used to describe the situation and emotions of the characters throughout the poem by describing them as chess pieces and in check-mate situationsRead MoreAllusion In The Waste Land By T. S. Eliot921 Words   |  4 Pages These lines are from the poem The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot. Tho ugh Eliot is purposefully obscure and vague in the poem, this stanza is pretty clear when analyzed. In this stanza, it represents the literal translation about the aftermath of World War 1 and the feelings that are reverberated by it. In the lines, â€Å"After the agony in stony places / The shouting and the crying† (388). The stony places are to represent the destruction of Europe. This is accompanied by the great sadness and pain thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Eliot s Poem The Waste Land 1401 Words   |  6 PagesThomas Stearns Eliot, an American scholar, sophisticated, diverse, and also poetic genius claimed by both the United States and England, is the twentieth century s touchstone author. Thomas had a problem with religion, as noted by his poem â€Å"Journey of the Magi,† and eventually converted from Anglicanism (â€Å"T. S. Eliot: His Religion, His Poetry, His Roles†). First published in 1922, T.S. Eliot s poem The Waste Land is a major work of modern lite rature. His poem is written in the aftermath of theRead MoreT. S. Eliot The Waste Land Essay1551 Words   |  7 Pages17 Oct 2017 Progressivism as a Project of Humanity: Roosevelt, Wilson, the Great War These fragments I have shored against my ruins Why then Ile fit you. Hireronymo’s mad againe. Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata. Shantih shantih shantih --T.s. Eliot, The Waste Land (1922)[1] I. THE AFTERMATH of the Industrial Revolution revealed new realities born of the marriage between technology and capitalism. Central to the Progressive motivation was the human relationship with Capital, an invisible entity whoseRead MoreAnalysis of The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot1571 Words   |  7 Pages(post)modern counterpart. The message this phrase bears, resonates throughout the entire poem: from its title, â€Å"The Waste Land†, to its final mantra â€Å"Shantih shantih shantih†. All words, phrases and sentences (or just simply images) which make up this poem seem to, in Levi-Strauss’ words, â€Å"be a valeur symbolique zero [and the signifier] can take on any value required †, meaning that the images Eliot uses do not have one fixed signification and consequently conjure up thought-provoking ideas that need to