Assignment: paper no. 106
This Blog is part of an Assignment of sem -2 Paper no. 106 The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to world war II Assigned by Dr. Dilip Bard sir Department of English,mkbu. In this assignment I am dealing with the
topic: Critical appreciation of poem ‘the waste land’
•Academic Information:
Name : Kavita N. Chauhan
Roll No. : 10
Enrollment No. : 5108230010
Semester : 2
Paper No. : 106
Paper Code : 22399
Paper Name : The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to world war II
Topic : Critical appreciation of poem ‘the waste land’
Submitted to:Smt.S.B.Gardi,Department of English,MKBU
E-mail : kavitanchauhan2002@gmail.com
• Table of contents:-
Introduction :
About Poet:
The Epigraph & The Title Words:
T.S. Eliot And Modernism
Overview Of “The Waste Land”:-
Literary Analysis:
The Theme Stated Through Symbolism:
The cultural and historical context:
Structure of the Poem:
Use of poetic devices:
Conclusion:
References:
• Introduction:-
“The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot is a seminal work in the realm of modernist literature, celebrated for its complex structure, vivid imagery, and intricate themes. In this article, I have explored a critical appreciation of this profound poem, shedding light on its significance within the context of modernism and delving into an overview of its key elements
• About Poet:T.S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.[1] He is considered to be one of the 20th century's greatest poets, as well as a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry. His use of language, writing style, and verse structure reinvigorated English poetry. He is also noted for his critical essays, which often reevaluated long-held cultural beliefs
Born
Thomas Stearns Eliot
26 September 1888
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died
4 January 1965 (aged 76)
London, England
Occupation:
Poet Essayist Playwright Publisher Critic
Citizenship:
US (1888–1927)
UK (1927–1965)
Education:
Harvard University (AB, AM)
Merton College, Oxford
Period
1905–1965
Literary movement:
Modernism
Notable works:
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (1915)
The Waste Land (1922)
The Hollow Men (1925)
Murder in the Cathedral (1935)
Four Quartets (1943)
Notable awards:
Nobel Prize in Literature (1948)
Order of Merit (1948)
•The Epigraph:
"‘Nam Sibyllam quidem Cumis ego ipse oculis meis vidi in ampulla pendere, et cum illi pueri dicerent: Σίβυλλα τί θέλεις; respondebat illa: άποθανεîν θέλω.’
" For Ezra Pound
il miglior fabbro.”
The poem bears an epigraph written partly in Latin and partly in Greek. The speaker in the epigraph says that he has noticed the Sibyl at Cymae hanging in a cage and wishing to die; but she could not die because she was almost immortal by virtue of a boon from Apollo. According to recent criticism, the Sibyl hanging in a cage represents the human soul hanging in the cage of Materialism. Being immortal, the soul can’t die. But it is highly miserable, since the materialistic man is constantly haunted by anxiety, cares, worries etc. he is all “fear in a handful of dust”
• The Title Words:
The title of the poem "The Waste Land" has been inspired by Miss Dessie L. Weston’s book from "Ritual to Romance". It refers to a Waste Land described in one of the Grail Romances. The Land was ruled by the Fisher king. He along with his knights ravished certain maidens who were guardians of the Grail mysteries. Because of that outrage, he became impotent and fell ill, and his land became Waste. Eliot has represented in his poem the modern materialistic world as the wasteland, and its rulers as the modern materialistic man – He has profaned the mysteries of life and being, namely the Soul and God. Consequent upon his outrage, he has become spiritually impotent and has fallen ill with misery and his land has become waste spiritually.
• T.S. Eliot And Modernism:
Thomas Stearns Eliot, commonly known as T.S. Eliot emerged as a prominent figure in the modernist literary movement of the 20th century. His avant-garde approach to poetry and deep-seated philosophical insights revolutionized the way literature was perceived in his era.
Eliot’s exploration of fragmented narratives, disillusionment, and existential crises earned him acclaim as a trailblazer of modernist thought. “The Waste Land” stands as a testament to his avant-garde style and profound intellect, solidifying his position as a leading figure in the modernist literary canon.
• Overview Of “The Waste Land”:-
T. S. Eliot’s landmark modernist poem The Waste Land was published in 1922. Divided into five sections, the poem explores life in London in the aftermath of the First World War, although its various landscapes include the desert and the ocean as well as the bustling metropolis. The poem is notable for its unusual style, which fuses different poetic forms and traditions. Eliot also alludes to numerous works of literature including the Bible, Shakespeare, St Augustine, Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts, as well as French poetry, Wagnerian opera, and Arthurian legend surrounding the Holy Grail. But the poem is also strikingly modern in its references to jazz music, gramophones, motorcars, typists and tinned food.
Not long after its publication, The Waste Land became a talking-point among readers, with some critics hailing it as a masterpiece that spoke for a generation of lost souls, and others denouncing it for its allusiveness (the US poet William Carlos Williams disliked it because it ‘returned us to the classroom’) or for its unusual modernist style. It continues to divide re
aders, but its reputation as one of the most influential poems of the twentieth century is secure.
•Literary Analysis:
“The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot is a complex and multi-layered modernist poem that is open to a wide range of literary analysis. In this section, I will evaluate the structure of the poem and explore Eliot’s use of language and imagery to convey the fragmented and disillusioned post-World War I world.
•The Five Sections Of “The Waste Land”
Eliot’s “The Waste Land” is divided into five distinct sections, each with its own unique theme and style. The poem moves through various landscapes and voices, presenting a fractured and dissonant depiction of the modern world. The sections are:
The Burial of the Dead
A Game of Chess
The Fire Sermon
Death by Water
What the Thunder Said
•The Theme Stated Through Symbolism:
The doctrine of Spiritualism asserts that in the universe all the material forms are unreal. The immortal soul is the only reality and it has real existence apart from matter. The doctrine of Christian Existentialism holds that man must raise his soul above the sins of the Flesh and the temptation of wealth.
In order to illustrate his point of view, the poem surveys the evil effects of Materialism on the modern society of the West. In part-I he shows that the materialistic society is ruled by sensualism, unholy love, fraud as reflected in Madame Sosostris Clairvoyance, and misery born of materialistic desires. In part-II the poet opines that the modern woman considers life a game of chess in which she has to keep her lover under her power by means of her beauty and cosmetics till another lover knocks at the door. In Part-III, he shows that the modern men are burning in the fire by unholy love. The part-IV, he suggests that commercialism leads the modern man only to mirage and death. In part-V the poet sums up the nature of The Waste Land and its impotence. In fact, ‘here is no water but only rock’. The water of selfless love and compassion is missing in the modern sphere, there is ‘rocks’ mentality for materialistic thoughts and deeds. If sensual pleasures, madness for worldly riches and wealth be the crux of modern Waste land, there are three gates to man’s Salvation – Datta, Dayandham and Damayanta:
"Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.
Shantih shantih shantih"
In the Upanishads, a collection of Hindu scriptures, it resonates as the thunderous voice. To elucidate, as Hugh Kenner elucidated, "If the most enduring wisdom of humanity harks back to its earliest origins, then the resonance of both thunder and the wisdom of Hindu sages, represents the cosmic voice, untainted by fragmentation into mere echoes." This essence forms the basis for "Datta" ("Give"), "Dayadhvam" ("Sympathize"), and "Damyata" ("Control"), each of which finds its place within the concluding section of the poem. Notably, Eliot restructured their sequence from the original "Damyata, Datta, Dayadhvam.”
•The cultural and historical context:
The cultural and historical context of T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” provides a profound backdrop to understand the poem’s critical appreciation. Set against the aftermath of World War I and the societal changes of the early 20th century, the poem reflects the post-war despair and the cultural shifts that reshaped the world during that time.
•Post-WWI Despair;
T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” resonates with the sense of disillusionment and despair that lingered in the aftermath of World War I. The devastation and trauma of the war left a profound impact on individuals and societies, leading to a prevailing feeling of hopelessness and disintegration. Eliot captures this desolation through his fragmented and disjointed verse, mirroring the fractured psyche of a post-war society grappling with loss and disillusionment.
•Reflection Of Social Changes;
“The Waste Land” serves as a poignant reflection of the significant social and cultural changes that were sweeping across the world during the early 20th century. The poem encapsulates the erosion of traditional values, the disintegration of societal norms, and the existential angst pervading the modern world. Eliot’s portrayal of fragmented narratives and diverse cultural allusions embodies the disorienting experience of navigating through a rapidly changing society undergoing seismic shifts.
•The Mythical background:
Miss Weston's book supplied him with the legend of the Grail and the Fisher King, and from The Golden Bough he derived his knowledge of a number of vegetation and fertility myths and rituals, especially those connected with Attis, Adonis and Osiris
Use of poetics Devices in "The Waste Land"
Literary devices, a significant part of any literary piece, are used to highlight hidden meanings. Through "The Waste Land," T. S. Eliot brings clarity and richness to this poem using appropriate devices. The analysis of some of the literary devices is given below.
Metaphor: There are three major metaphors in the poem. The first one is used in the first stanza where it is stated, "April is the cruelest month." April represents cruelty and brings change which is a source of pain for the people. The second metaphor is used in the third section of the poem, "a rat crept softly through the vegetation / Dragging its slimy belly on the bank." Here the rat represents the war and its aftermath. The third extended metaphor is used in section five "Cracks and reforms and bursts in the violet air / Falling towers / Jerusalem Athens Alexandria / Vienna London / Unreal." These cities show the destruction of cultural and traditional values.
Personification: Personification is used to show human-like quality for inanimate objects. The first is used in the third section where the poet has compared the musical sound made by a mandolin to the whining sound of a human being. The second example is also in the third section where he personifies the sound of utensils coming from the restaurant with human conversation. The third example of personification is in the last part where he personifies the river by giving it a human attribute "of sweaty oil and tor."
Irony: Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite meanings of the situation being discussed. Similarly, the poet presents irony in the very first line where he says that "April is the cruelest month". April is a pleasant spring month but has become cruel as it brings the war memory back.
Simile: A simile is a device used to compare two different objects. There are two similes in the poem such as, "The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne" / "Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits, Like a taxi throbbing waiting."
Onomatopoeia: It is defined as a word which mimics the natural
sounds of a thing which makes the description interesting and
appealing. Eliot has used this device in the section of the poem called
"The Fire Sermon "twit, twit, twit" / "jug, jug, jug." Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds such as the sound of /y/ in "year to year and /t/ sound in "twit, twit, and twit" and "time to time."
“April is the Cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.”
•Conclusion:
In essence, “The Waste Land” by T. S. Eliot is a timeless masterpiece that mirrors the complexities of human existence and the disillusionment of society. Through its poignant imagery and profound themes, the poem continues to captivate readers, inviting them to contemplate the fragmented nature of modern life.
With its enigmatic style and rich symbolism, “The Waste Land” remains a seminal work in the realm of literature, ensuring T. S. Eliot’s legacy endures.
Words:2211
Images :3
Vedio:1
• References:
Gardner, Helen , Davies, Hugh Alistair and Tate, Allen. "T.S. Eliot". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/T-S-Eliot. Accessed 14 April 2024.
https://www.hamandista.com/analysis-of-the-waste-land-by-t
-s-eliot/
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47311/the-waste-land
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