Analysis of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land - Analiza e T.S. Eliot-ës, Shkrimi Style, Çështje dhe rëndësinë e tyre Sot

Analysis of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land

Thomas Stearns Eliot, author of The Waste Land, has been called the most influential poet of the twentieth century. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but became a British subject in 1927. For this reason, his works may be studied in British or American literature courses.

In 1906 he attended Harvard, where he was influenced by student groups who were interested in Elizabethan and Jacobean literature, the humanism of Irving Babbitt, and Indian mystical philosophy. He received additional education at the Sorbonne and at Oxford. In 1914 he moved to London and took a position at Lloyd's Bank. He held this job until 1925, when he joined the publishing firm of Faber and Gwyer. The firm became Faber and Faber in 1929, and Eliot was appointed a director. In 1948 he won the Nobel Prize for literature.

The Waste Land first appeared in October, 1922, in the Criterion, a periodical founded and edited by Eliot. In November of the same year it was published in the Dial, an American
publication. At a later date it was published as a book with notes added, and it has also appeared in numerous anthologies.

The Waste Land is an allusive and complex poem. As such, it is subject to a variety of interpretations, and no two critics agree completely on its meaning. It may be interpreted on three levels: the person, the society, and the human race. The personal interpretation seeks to reveal Eliot's feelings and intentions in writing the poem. At the society level, a critic looks for the meaning of the poem in relation to the society for which it was written. Finally, the human level extends the societal level to include all human societies - past, present, and future (Thompson 144).

Since the human level is an extension of the societal level, the basic themes are the same for both. The main theme is "modern life as a waste land." Eliot supports the theme by showing what was wrong with society in the early twentieth century. These shortcomings include lack of faith, lack of communication, fear of both life and death, corruption of the life-water symbol, and corruption of sex.

There are two kinds of people in the modern waste land, according to Eliot. These are seen in the crowd that flows over London Bridge (62-65). He states, "I had not thought death had undone so many." This is a reference to Dante's description of the people in Limbo. They were the dead who were neither bad nor good, just secularized. This is one category of people in the waste land (Williamson 133). The other is given by another reference to Dante: "Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled." This is descriptive of people in the first level of hell, those who were born before Christ. They have no knowledge of salvation and cannot be saved (according to Dante.) The reference shows that there are also people in the twentieth century who have no faith (Brooks 13). Eliot illustrates the lack of faith at several points. In lines 301-302, one of the Thames daughters states, "I can connect / Nothing with nothing." Because she has no faith, there are no connections and no meaning in her life (Wheelwright 97). There are several references in the poem to "hooded hordes walking in a ring." Madame Sosostris sees them, and the protagonist meets them as he journeys to the Perilous Chapel. The hooded hordes are hooded because they cannot see the hooded figure, the "third that always walks beside you," who represents Christ (Brooks 26). They are walking in a ring, with no sense of purpose or direction, because they have no faith (Williamson 149).

Another indication of the people's lack of faith is the story of the merchant. Traditionally, the merchants carried the secrets of the vegetation cult - the mythology which forms the basis of the poem - to all the countries they visited. However, the merchant Eliot describes does not do this. Instead of inviting the protagonist to a meeting that will introduce him to life-giving secrets, the merchant asks him to a weekend of homosexual debauchery that can only bring death (Brooks 21). In addition, Madame Sosostris is prohibited from seeing what the merchant carries on his back. She, likes the others in her world, cannot know about the secrets of life (Wheelwright 97). The world has lost its faith.

The people in the waste land also have problems with communication. This is first illustrated in the Hyacinth girl scene (35-41). She indicates that she is unable to speak, and therefore cannot communicate with the protagonist (Unger, Moments 120). Similarly, the lady of situations says "Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak." She feels the need to communicate but does not know how (Traversi 35). The response to the command "Dayadhvam" (sympathize) also shows that the people cannot communicate. They are all sitting in their prisons, thinking of the keys that will release them, yet never getting out. Their pride and selfishness keep them from understanding each other (Matthiessen 138). Finally, the encounter between the typist and the young man reinforces the problem of selfishness. Neither the typist nor her visitor is interested in the other. They just want to please themselves. Because of this focus on self, there is no communication between them (Brooks 22).

The opening lines of the poem describe the feelings of the protagonist as spring arrives. Instead of being joyful, he is disturbed. The new beginnings around him make him afraid, because he does not want a new beginning in his own life. He is afraid to live life (Brooks 12). However, he is also afraid of death. The statement "I will show you fear in a handful of dust" (30) refers to fear of death, or fear of becoming just a handful of dust (Traversi 26). Another example of fear of life is in the planting of the corpse described in lines 69-75. The protagonist asks if the corpse has sprouted. He seems to be afraid of what might happen if it does (Williamson 134). However, the horror of rats' alley (115) illustrates the fear of death again. Although the inhabitants of the waste land do not want to fully live, they are too afraid to die.

A traditional symbol of life is water, since human life is believed to have come from the water through the evolution of fish. Many religions, including the vegetation cults, held water as sacred and life-giving. Unfortunately, the people in the waste land have lost this ancient belief, according to Eliot. They have corrupted the life symbol and made it into something to be feared instead of revered. For example, the Phoenician sailor dies by drowning. Water certainly does not represent life to him! The clairvoyant Madame Sosostris advises the protagonist, "Fear death by water." Since he does not have faith (as illustrated above), water means death to him. He cannot live in it (Williamson 125). He also states "By the waters of Leman I sat down and wept..." (182). Leman means "lust." The protagonist indicates here that the prevalence of unbridled lust has disturbed him. Water has been corrupted - it now represents the death that results from the lack of self control. It no longer stands for life (Williamson 139). Another instance of this is Eliot's quote from an Australian song, "O the moon shone bright on Mrs. Porter / and on her daughter / They wash their feet in soda water" (199-201). In the legends of the Fisher King a footwashing ceremony preceded the restoration of the king. These lines tell us that ordinary water can no longer be used in footwashing - its symbolism has been lost (Brooks 20).

An important theme is corruption of sex -- Eliot stresses this by giving many examples. The first is found in the description of the lady of situations. A "sylvan scene" is displayed above her mantel. The scene depicts "the change of Philomel," who was raped by King Tereus, husband of her sister Procne. Eliot states in line 102, "And still she cried, and still the world pursues." The change of Philomela took place many centuries ago, yet it is still happening today (Williamson 142). A second illustration of corrupted sex is in the pub scene (140-172). Albert "wants a good time" and he doesn't care who he hurts to get it. He is not concerned about the possibility of his wife dying in childbirth. Her friend, who is speaking, doesn't care either. The feelings of the society are that lust should be satisfied no matter what the consequences may be (Brooks 17-18). This theme is seen once more in the meeting of the typist and the young man (222-256). The typist is "bored and tired." The young man is "flushed and decided." Eliot states, "His vanity requires no response, / and makes a welcome of indifference." He isn't interested in exciting or pleasing her; he is only interested in his own satisfaction. "Love" in modern society is not really love - it is merely the fulfillment of instinctive desires. It is practical, boring, and meaningless (Matthiessen 61).

These three scenes are fairly lengthy, but Eliot also shows the corruption of love in short references. For example, lines 196-198 state "But at my back from time to time I hear / The sound of horns and motors, which shall bring / Sweeney to Mrs. Porter in the spring." The first line is a reference to Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress." The other two lines refers to Day's "Parliament of Bees" -- "A noise of horns and hunting, which shall bring / Actaeon to Diana in the spring." The references appear in Eliot's notes. The contrasts of "hunting" with "motors" as well as "Actaeon and Diana" with "Sweeney and Mrs. Porter" illustrate the significant changes in the pursuit of love. Love was once treasured, but it is now reduced to sex for pleasure and not much else. In addition, Eliot contrasts the love of Elizabeth and Leicester (279) with lovers of the present day (represented by the Thames daughters). The love of the past was enduring and real, while the love of the modern world is transitory and phony (Brooks 23).

Eliot is very discouraged about the society he has described as a waste land, but he does offer hope and a means of recovery. In Part V "What the Thunder Said," the three interpretations of DA - Datta (give), Dayadhvam (sympathize) and Damayata (control) - are the keys to new life for the waste land. They are the antithesis of modern problems. If people learn to give, sex will gain new meaning as an expression of emotion and it will no longer be corrupted. If they sympathize with each other, they will be able to communicate their true feelings and listen to those of others. Finally, if they develop self-control, their faith will return and they will no longer fear life or death.

Most critics have confined themselves to the societal/human interpretation of Eliot's work, since Eliot had warned them away from trying to determine his true purpose in writing his poetry. However, one theory has been put forward concerning his personal background and the meaning of the poem.

When Eliot was studying in Paris he had a close friend, Jean Verdenal, who was killed at Gallipolli during World War I. Eliot was never quite sure how he died, but "death by water" is a possible explanation since the battle occurred offshore. Eliot dedicated his first volume of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations, to this friend. Information gathered from his first wife and from his personal papers indicates that he loved Jean Verdenal very much. The theory that has been set forth is that he wrote The Waste Land to express and to partially alleviate his grief, as Tennyson did with In Memoriam (Miller 19).

The world may never be certain exactly what Eliot had in mind when he wrote his most famous poem. However, we can determine the meaning of the poem to the "Lost Generation" and to all generations, as expressed in the themes I have described.

T.S. Eliot's Genre, Writing Style, Issues and Their Relevance Today

World War I brought about a revolution in the art of poetry. T.S. Eliot was one of the Initiators of the modernist revolution. Writing mostly poetry and plays, he introduced a new style of writing utilizing both common speech of the time and very obscure allusions. Eliot was a pioneer of the modernist revolution, using obscue allusions which were hard for the common people to follow. (Through his difficult first marriage, he was able to fuel some of his powerful writings, such as "The Waste Land." His works involved a complicated style, allusions being the common element. He wrote about things that concerned him, specifically having to do with the post-war attitudes many people had. He wrote about death, loss, and spiritual recovery which for the most part are still of concern today.)

Eliot was born Thomas Stearns Eliot in St. Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888. His parents were Henry Ware Eliot, a businessman, and his wife Charlotte Chauncey Stearns, a poet. He was well educated, attending Harvard, the Sorbonne at Oxford, and Merton College. He entered Harvard in 1906, and studied philosophy in graduate school. He also became editor of The Harvard Associate.He went on to study French at the Sorbonne, then back to Harvard to study metaphysics, logic, Indic

philosophy, psychology, and Sanskrit. He also studied Greek philosophy and German at Merton. He went on to teach at Highgate near London where he taught French, Latin, lower math, drawing, swimming, geography, history, and baseball. Once again he returned to Harvard this time to teach, along with many other teaching jobs. Then he became a banker, registered for the U.S. Navy, then became director for The Egoist. In 1915, he married Vivienne Haigh-Wood. 1922 brought "The Waste Land," his most famous poem, which is believed to have been the story of his marriage to Vivienne. He became editor for The Criterion, where he introduced the works of W. H. Auden in 1923. He was fascinated with the English culture, especially the dark side of their upper middle class. He wanted to leave his American past behind him, and thus he became a legal subject of England and converted to the Anglican Church. In 1938 his marriage to Vivienne ended tragically, when he sent her to a mental hospital for 9 years. She died there, not having seen or spoken to Eliot in 12 years. He re-married 19 years later to Valerie Fletcher, who was his private secretary. Throughout his life, his writings received many awards such as the Nobel Prize, the Hanseatic Goethe Prize, and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Eliot had a very unique style. He was a very knowledgeable man who knew much of literature. His writing style involved many allusions which were hard for the average man to follow. This kept his popularity at the beginning of his writing career to be low. To fully understand and appreciate his poetry, one must do research or have footnotes, for he uses obscure allusions. In this, he educates and makes people work and think to understand his complicated works, which were commonplace to him. His use of allusion allows him to capture feeling through the previous works, making his works concise and simple, yet so complicated and deep as to discourage the reader. The problem with his voice was it being above the understanding of his readers. When one analyzes his work, one can see how intricate they are. The only way to fully understand his works is to analyze them thoroughly.

"The Hollow Men" uses many allusions; from The Lord's Prayer, to The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, to the English customs of Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes Day, on November 5, commemorates stopping Guy Fawkes and his cohort's attempts to blow up both Houses of Parliament. It can be difficult for the reader to discover such things as these and then the meaning still must be deciphered. He begins the poem with an allusion to The Heart of Darkness speaking of Kurtz, a trader with no strengths and thus he becomes barbaric in the central African jungle. He later refers to Kurtz as a violent soul, which is opposite of the hollow men. The hollow men refer to all people. People have a lack of spiritual passion. They have no motivation, towards good or evil, as Kurtz is a man who becomes rash and commits great acts of evil. This brings the reader, once he understands the opening, to be intrigued as to how this relates to hollow men.

While Eliot has concise sentences, they aren't that clear. This is because of the complexity of his works. While his grammar is smooth, the messages are often over the reader's head. This being attributed to his allusions and them having their own meaning. All of the allusions wrapped together produce a whole new meaning, which is the wonder of his work. Through his intervention and usage of allusions, he is able to contort all of them put together into a new message, usually completely different than the references.

Brevity is a problem he has. While it is for emphasis, he is very repetitive, sometimes repeating the same line over and over, consecutively or sometimes restates them multiple times. In doing this, he is able to stir images in the reader's head. Using new wording for a similar line invokes further images. He is able to reveal emotions by invoking them in us, rather than bluntly stating them.

Through his allusions, he gives fresh comparisons. Rather than using plain comparisons, he compares his ideas with those presented in previous works by other authors. This, once the other work is understood, sheds great light on his point. His comparisons are almost always new to the ear, thus appealing and intriguing. If one can take the time to understand the allusion it keeps their attention almost glued to the words. On the other hand, this can also thwart one from continuing reading or at least finding out the meaning because of the time and effort involved. His poems have so much to say which can regrettably be lost in one's lack of knowledge of literature.

Another aspect, both appealing to the eye, ear, and mind is his sentence usage and placement. In his poems, he will have strangely placed sentences on a line, choppy sentences that continue on the next line with strange breaks, and their lengths are not uniform. This can seem strange, especially to the non-enthusiast, but provides differentiation to normal, uniform poems. This uniqueness makes for interesting poems.

Eliot always put flair in his poems. He knew so much of literature and also researched it, looking for the right piece to illustrate his point. This gives the reader a chance to explore the entire poem. A reader can see the time put into his poems simply through this, and the reader also has to put time into understanding them.

In the end of his works, he takes everything from the work and wraps it up in a simple statement. This makes it beautiful, and once understood slightly, incredibly easy to fully grasp. While some writers pull some things together from their work, he is able to, in some way, bring it all together. This is a feat not easily done, as it can be hard to relate so many things, especially as complicated and deep as Eliot makes them. Being able to utilize so many sources in his works and his language and sentence usage gives him a one-of-a-kind style, not matched by many others.